604

Tom Harper at Bring It On has a great post today about factory farms. I'm afraid this is another unflattering portrait of who we are.

Posted on 04/29/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments?

The other night at the Democratic debate, former Senator Mike Gravel stole the show:

It's like going into the Senate. You know, the first time you get there, you're all excited, "My God, how did I ever get here?" Then, about six months later, you say, "How the hell did the rest of them get here?"

It's more than just a funny line. It underscores the fundamental lack of leadership in Congress in general and in the Democratic party in particular — a leadership so weak that it can't even stop a war based on lies.

Of the war funding resolution passed in Congress this week, Gravel says this (indignant emphasis mine):

Now with respect to what's going on in the Congress, I'm really embarrassed.

So we passed — and the media's in a frenzy right today with what has been passed. What has been passed? George Bush communicated over a year ago that he would not get out of Iraq until he left office. Do we not believe him?

We need to find another way. I really would like to sit down with Pelosi and with Reid, and I would hope the other senators would focus on, how do you get out? You pass the law, not a resolution, a law making it a felony to stay there. And I'll give you the text of it.

And if you're worried about filibuster, here's what you do tactically. They can pass it in the House. We've got the votes there.

In the Senate, let them filibuster it. And let Reid call up every — at 12:00 every day to have a cloture vote. And let the American people see clearly who's keeping the war going and who's not.

And that's just the beginning of the tactic, if they're tough enough to do it.

But they're not tough enough, Senator Gravel. Not even close.

Posted on 04/28/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

God, I hate politics. I hate the whole cynical, sickening charade.

With their eyes on the prize of the 2008 elections, Democrats in Congress passed a war funding bill that imposes a firm April 1, 2008 deadline for withdrawing US troops from Iraq.

Declared Barack Obama: "We are one signature away from ending this war."

Shhh...do I hear the band striking up Happy Days Are Here Again? And wait — it gets better:

Democrats said the bill was on track to arrive on the president's desk on Tuesday, the anniversary of Bush's announcement aboard the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln that major combat operations in Iraq had ended.

For Democrats, the irony just don't get no sweeter than this.

But the real irony, I'm afraid, is the withdrawal deadline — April Fool's Day.

Now that the bill is headed for the president's desk, here are three possibilities for what happens next:

• Least likely: Bush vetoes the bill. Congress sends him another bill with the withdrawal deadline stripped out, but appropriating far less than the current $100 billion — possibly, just two months worth of funding.

  John Murtha said such a revised bill could be passed in about two weeks. But what's the point? Almost immediately, Democrats, Republicans, and the president would have to start playing the same grandstanding charade all over again. (Or maybe that is the point.)

• More likely: Bush signs the bill. But it soon becomes clear that the bill's advertised demand for "complete withdrawal" was something of an overstatement. In fact, the bill allows tens of thousands of troops to remain in Iraq past the April 1st withdrawal date, in "non-combat" roles.

  The slippery slope down into the Vietnam quagmire began with far fewer "advisors" than that.

• Most likely: Bush vetoes the bill, and Congress will send him another that includes no withdrawal deadline. The Republicans will claim a political victory over the cut-and-run Democrats. The Democrats will claim a moral victory over the Republicans, who were so ready and willing to abandon the troops. Or so we will be told.

And then, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters will continue to be sent to Iraq to give up everything, everything, for this long lost cause. And as they fall, one by one, you can be sure their sacrifice will receive far less coverage than the political horserace that will so amuse us over the next 18 months.

Posted on 04/26/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

Kathy at Stone Soup Musings has a compelling post about John Conyers' single-payer health care plan - HR 676.

The only way to beat the big-bucks health care lobbyists is through a big show of support for this sensible and workable proposal. Read the post, sign the petition, take back the government.

Posted on 04/24/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

Step aside, Nancy. Vermont may be bringing Democracy to the table:

Under Thomas Jefferson’s Manual for Rules of the House, such a joint resolution, should it pass, is an alternative route to impeachment, and would require the House Judiciary Committee to initiate an impeachment hearing to determine whether grounds for impeachment of the president and vice president exist. It would no longer be possible, in other words, for Speaker Pelosi to continue blocking impeachment and intimidating representatives from filing impeachment bills.

Posted on 04/23/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (5)

Headline on the ABC News web site:

Majority Expect U.S. Will 'Lose' in Iraq

And the rest of us believe the war is already lost.

The debate over withdrawal deadlines is a sideshow. it's time to face facts and minimize the senseless loss of life, and get out of there as quickly and as safely as possible.

Posted on 04/17/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (8)

Between the idea and the reality falls the shadow. Or more prosaically — who ya gonna believe, me or ya lyin' eyes:

Despite all evidence, some political leaders continue to insist that the situation [in Iraq] is improving, as though the brutal TV images of the war did not exist, as if it were a fantasy invented by evil spirits. The chasm between the people’s view of reality and that of their leaders has rarely been greater.

And this observation from the editor of The Lancet hits the heart of the matter: "Our collective failure has been to take our political leaders at their word.”

We've unleashed a humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq. Even if the motives were pure and honest, this administration should be held accountable and removed for its sheer, deadly incompetence.

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Stacy at Cafe Politico gives credit where it's due :

I have never in my lifetime seen an administration that so skillfully protects their leader from any real public accountability or being put on the “hot spot” on a regular basis. They do a great job at keeping Bush in front of only very “easy crowds” so that he won’t have to answer tough questions and where every answer he gives, no matter how unintelligible, is met with nothing but applause. It’s also incredible to me how the media seems to accept this and play along with it. Sure, they bemoan it every once in a while, but they play along none-the-less.

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And speaking of buzz...

The other night on Real Time, Bill Maher asked a facetious question: Would you give up your TV remote if that's what it took to stop global warming and save the planet?

How about your cell phone? Scientists are beginning to think that might be necessary.

You've heard about the sudden and mysterious disappearance of bees in the US, Canada, and Europe. One theory suspects that radiation from cell phones is jamming the bees' built-in navigation systems, preventing them from finding their way back home to the land of sex with the queen bee and honey.

Why should we care?

The implications of the spread are alarming. Most of the world's crops depend on pollination by bees. Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".

Bees, please phone home. Now.

Posted on 04/15/07 by The Guests of 604 | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (4)

Say what you will about Scott Ritter, he was one of the very few brave souls willing to stand up and expose the administration's lies about Iraq's WMDs — before the invasion. He was right then, and I believe he's right now, in this multi-faceted post about Iran, Israel, and the cowards in Congress:

This new Democratic leadership has failed egregiously. Not only has the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, been unable to orchestrate any meaningful legislation to bring the war in Iraq to an end, but in mid-March she carelessly greased the tracks for a whole new conflict. By excising language from a defense appropriations bill which would have required President Bush to seek the approval of Congress prior to initiating any military attack on Iran, Pelosi terminated any hope of slowing down the Bush administration’s mad rush to war.

Despite the fact that Congress was only stating through this language a simple reflection of constitutional mandate [that only Congress can declare war], Speaker Pelosi and others felt that the inclusion of such verbiage put the security of the state of Israel at risk by eliminating important “policy options” for the president of the United States. In short, Israeli national security interests trumped the Constitution of the United States.

Incredulous emphasis mine.

This is a terrific post by an extremely bright, courageous, and knowledgeable observer. It deserves a close read.

Posted on 04/14/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments?

A suicide terrorist bird attempted to take out VP Cheney by flying into the right-side engine of Air Force 2 with Cheney on board. No one was hurt, except for the pureed suicider.

A rumor immediately took flight that the unidentified bird was once the beloved pet of Osama bin Forgotten. However, the story, reportedly launched by the always flighty Michelle Malkin, doesn't have the wing of truth to it.

Posted on 04/14/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

Of the many Vonnegut tributes and remembrances being posted, one of my favorites is this:

In 1986, Vonnegut appeared before a Senate subcommittee to argue for repeal of the McCarran- Warren Act, which allowed the State Department to bar foreign visitors whose views were unacceptable to the government. "All citizens are entitled to hear absolutely any idea anyone from anywhere may care to express," he said. "And where did I get the notion there was such an incredible entitlement? I got it from the junior civics course that was given in the seventh grade at Public School 35 in Indianapolis."

Humanity has lost one of its champions. Kurt Vonnegut has come unstuck in time.

Posted on 04/13/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

This is really getting embarrassing. Now it's turning out that Massachusetts' universal mandatory healthcare plan is neither universal nor mandatory:

To remove the threat of a public backlash, the state plans to exempt nearly 20 percent of uninsured adults from the state's new requirement that everyone have health insurance.

So along with the higher-than-expected premiums, high annual deductibles, and lifetime caps, the pathetically inadequate Massachusetts plan will exempt around 60,000 uninsured citizens from being required to purchase health insurance.

What's next to be chipped away?

More here, here, here, and here.

Posted on 04/12/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

Some of the biggest splashes in today's MSM: the Duke lacrosse players are 'victims of lying stripper,' MSNBC fires Don Imus' trash-talking ass, and Larry Birkhead is the grand-prize winner in the Anna Nicole Smith Memorial Sperm Competition.

Meanwhile, this story describing the 'unbearable suffering' of the Iraqi people got somewhat less play.

One excerpt:

Saad, a humanitarian worker, is quoted as recalling the scene after a bomb blast: "I saw a four-year-old boy sitting beside his mother's body, which had been decapitated by the explosion. He was talking to her, asking her what had happened."

But what the hell. Let's give it another year.

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Have I mentioned that we need to take the money out of politics? Amy Goodman agrees:

Money is now considered the single most important factor in our electoral process. Ideas and issues take a back seat to the bottom line. This prostitution of our electoral process has one key culprit: television advertising...

The costs of running for federal office have been skyrocketing. More than $880 million was raised by the 2004 presidential campaigns. The 2008 election is expected to cost more than $1 billion. Sixty percent will be spent on advertising.

The citizens are the losers, and the broadcasters and elite political consultants are the winners.

Indignant emphasis mine.

Posted on 04/11/07 by The Guests of 604 | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (4)

You'll be seeing a lot of this story of how Bush came this close to becoming a crispy critter this weekend. But be sure to read this account on Kos.

Just about any idiot knows that mixing hydrogen and a spark is a recipe for disaster. Think Hindenburg.

Right you are. But we're not talking about just any idiot.

Update: Looks like the joke's on me.

Posted on 04/08/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (3)

A theocracy is built, not born (not even immaculately). And if you're trying to build a Christian theocracy, one of the things you do is stock the bureaucracy with missionaries.

Enter Regent University School of Law, brainchild of Pat Robertson and funded by the Christian Broadcast Network. According to its Admissions statement:

Regent Law School seeks to admit students who are serious about the critical roles they will assume as future counselors, conciliators, defenders of the faith, effective client advocates and followers of Christ.

Defenders of the faith? Are they looking for law students or a born-again Henry VIII?

There's more:

Regent Law seeks men and women who are dedicated to becoming Christian leaders who will change the world for Christ.

Sweet Jesus.

What's a typical class at Regent like? According to today's Boston Globe:

The title of the course was Constitutional Law, but the subject was sin. Before any casebooks were opened, a student led his classmates in a 10-minute devotional talk, completed with "amens," about the need to preserve their Christian values.

US News & World Report ranks Regent as a "tier four" school. There is no lower ranking. But the school's poor record didn't stop the Bush administration from hiring 150 of its graduates for administration jobs, including Department of Justice jobs.

One of these Regent grads is Monica Goodling, a top Alberto Gonzales aid whose job description included hiring — and more importantly, firing — US attorneys.

As one observer noted:

That a recent graduate of one of the very worst [and sketchiest] law schools with virtually no relevant experience could ascend to this position is a sure sign that there is something seriously wrong at the DOJ.

What, oh pray tell what went through the mind of Bush's Monica before she decided to shut her mouth and resign? Tell the truth about the firings, or take the fifth? Hmmm...What would Jesus do?

Many more posts in the Blog Against Theocracy Swarm here.

Posted on 04/08/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (4)

The 15 recently freed British hostages say the confessions they made while still captives in Iran were coerced by their being blindfolded, stripped naked, kept in isolation, and threatened with jail.

Imagine what they would have confessed to if they were also hooded, beaten, waterboarded, sexually humiliated, shackled in painful positions for hours at a time, threatened with vicious dogs...

Posted on 04/07/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments?

No only are Americans the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human beings the world has ever seen, we also happen to be psychic. We're a nation of Carnac the Magnificents.

Take presidential elections. We know who can't win two years before the actual election. Proof: Ralph Nader in 2000 and 2004. Sure, he may have genuinely wanted to right some real wrongs in this country, like ending our role as corporate vassals. But we prescient American voters knew he couldn't win. And damn if he didn't.

Impeachment of Bush and Cheney? If ever a diabolic duo deserved impeachment, it's these two. According to Rep. Nadler, Dem of NY and seer supreme, "I'm sure he committed a lot of impeachable offenses, but think about it practically."

There you are. Sure Bush should be impeached. But it's not practical because, you know, we know it won't work.

And it's just too much to ask these Dems to make it work, even with "a lot of impeachable offenses" to work with.

Posted on 04/07/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (2)

Mitt Romney was the surprise winner in the first-quarter Republican fundraising sweepstakes, raking in about $23 million. Romney boasted that the impressive take is due to "a message that's connecting."

But according to the Boston Phoenix, it may have more to do with the ethics-challenged politicos he's connected to:

[Romney] should have been asked how much of his fundraising was done through connections with the world of scandal, dirty tricks, sketchy ethics, and illegality. Romney’s finance committees, steering committees, host committees, and fundraising staff are full of such people.

Such as:

• Fundraisers who generated cash for the notorious Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, including its top fundraiser, Bob Perry.

• Romney staffmember Benjamin Ginsberg, who was the swiftboaters' legal mouthpiece. Ginsberg was also chief counsel for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign, "for which he played a central role in stopping the Florida recount in that controversial election."

• Fundraisers who also participated in the Florida recount, including Timothy Flanigan, who has other "juicy scandals" to his discredit (including helping Alberto Gonzales draft his memos defending torture while Gonzales was still WH counsel).

• Other Romney teammembers include attorneys who have defended the likes of Tom DeLay, Scooter Libby, and Enron.
  

Romney's down in the polls. But with friends like these, you can't count him out.

Posted on 04/05/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (4)

This political pissing contest between the Democrats in Congress and the administration over the war funding bills has got to stop. It would be laughably childish if it weren't such a profound disgrace.

If this doesn't demoralize the troops, nothing will.

Both sides are to blame. They are using the troops as pawns in their petty, partisan, self-serving power struggle. It's beyond shameful.

The administration refuses to own up to the reality that they blew it, and the war is lost. And the opportunistic Democrats have chosen to score political points by maneuvering the administration into either accepting a withdrawal deadline or losing funding for the war.

Because, you know, it's just to much to ask the majority party to show enough leadership to bring an unjust and unpopular war based on lies to an immediate end, without using the troops as bait.

Which side will have enough sense to give up the baby?

Posted on 04/04/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (4)

Interesting headline on the McClatchy site today:

McCain says Baghdad safer; six U.S. soldiers killed

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An insider's take on what the factional violence in Iraq is really about:

This is not a civil war. This is a political war between [those] who supported the US invasion, which is the current government and its death squads, and the people of Iraq, who resisted, resisted this occupation and is still resisting this occupation.

This is according to someone who should know — an Iraqi-American who has returned to Iraq to help undo some small part of the damage America's war of liberation has caused.

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More evidence of the spectacular promise of stem cells:

• British scientists have grown part of a human heart from stem cells for the first time.

• A MELBOURNE biotech company is set to begin a revolutionary trial implanting heart attack victims with stem cells that rebuild damaged tissue and prevent further cardiac failure.
  

Such medical breakthroughs are likely to keep stemming from England, Australia, and other godless nations. But here in Christian America, state-sponsored stem-cell research simply doesn't pass moral muster.

When President Bush vetoed the stem-cell bill last year, he said such research "crosses a moral boundary that our decent society needs to respect."

Yessiree — the Republican administration has profound respect for the sanctity of life at the cellular level. Too bad it has such criminal disregard for the well being of the finished package.

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Posted on 04/02/07 by The Guests of 604 | Link | Comments? | Read Comments (4)

McClatchy posts a rare and pleasant glimpse of Baghdad before the US regime, with its rooftop oases and gardens sprinkled with water.

But that was then and this is now:

The US Administration said it came to save the people, it came to restore our rights, to open the way to democracy. Yet in the previous war it hit the electricity stations, harming none but the people. It invoked sanctions against Iraq, starving none but the people. And after this war, after “freedom” and “democracy” have been at last served the Iraqi people, what have we gained??

Re-construction is a lie. We have seen none. We live in darkness. We are in the middle ages, we use candlesticks and kerosene light-wicks.

Ungrateful Iraqis — and after all we've done to for them.

Posted on 04/01/07 by Anthony Ioven | Link | Comments?