Bush's Hometown Newspaper Endorses Kerry

Just when you thought you could predict things pretty well, something will come along to surprise you. This is the case here. The Lone Star Iconoclast, the President's hometown newspaper, has come out strongly for John Kerry.

Today, we are endorsing John Kerry, based not only on the things that Bush has delivered, but also on the vision of a return to normality that Kerry says our country needs.

The paper goes on to say that, on that horrible day on September 11, 2001, Americans rallied together with a new sense of patriotism. We were ready to follow Bush's lead through any travail.

He let us down.

George Bush gave us sound-bytes instead of solutions.

We trusted our President. He has let us down.

Kerry has a positive vision for America, plus the proven intelligence, good sense, and guts to make it happen. That's why The Iconoclast urges Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country.

The Iconoclast wholeheartedly endorses John Kerry.

[Click on the title line of this blog to take you to the article. You must read it in full!]

The Power of Positive Thinking Bush Style

Pollyanna George wants us all to be upbeat about Iraq. No room for pessimists says he! Just think positive. We'll be okay. Just wait and see.

You saw our "president" standing before the General Assembly this week. The members of the Assembly sat mute. They made no attempt to applaud even politely. It was deadly. Did not George die a thousand deaths up there? Did he not sweat bullets? Probably not. George doesn't live in reality, so he doesn't realize what's happening. I guess in a way it is better for him to live in his ivory tower. That way his impending departure from the White House is not on his mind.

Bush: The liberation is "succeeding."

Bush has dismissed the latest intelligence report as "guesswork." In his stump speech, he is STILL, I repeat, STILL connecting the illegal invasion of Iraq and September 11th. He repeats over and over that Saddam Hussein was an enemy of the U.S. (He mentions Leon Klinghoffer, murdered in 1985 on the Achille Lauro , during a time when the U.S. was courting Hussein and when Rumsfeld visited Hussein.) Saddam was our friend until he invaded Kuwait. Bush 41 saw the error of invading Baghdad. His son, sadly, did not. And apparently George W does not look to his father for advice. W has undone the foundation of his father's work, which was built upon by President Clinton, writes Sidney Blumenthal in "The Guardian."

Bush is counting on us not being in reality. He must evade, deny and suppress reality. Otherwise he will lose the election.

George Bush will lose the election.

[Click on the blog title to go to the Blumenthal article.]

Lest We Forget: Allawi, the Terrorist

Last June the now interim prime minister of Iraq and the U.S. puppet, Iyad Allawi, summarily executed 6 men in an Iraqi police station in the presence of about a dozen people. His reason: to send a clear message about how he would deal with insurgents.

A prominent Iraqi-British neurologist and Iraqi political activist, Allawi is a Shia Muslim. He set up and leads the CIA-supported Iraqi National Accord which carried out bombings during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The INA provided intelligence about alleged WMD to the British MI6.

Seymour Hersh quotes former CIA officer Vincent Cannistraro: "[...] Allawi has blood on his hands from his days in London [...] he was a paid Mukhabarat agent for the Iraqis, and he was involved in dirty stuff." A Middle Eastern diplomat confirmed that Allawi was involved with a Mukhabarat "hit team" that killed Baath Party dissenters in Europe.

Allawi was recruited by the CIA in 1992 as a counterpoint to the more well-known CIA asset Ahmed Chalabi. Allawi's INA organised terrorist attacks in Iraq between 1992 and 1995, allegedly including the bombing of a cinema and a school bus that killed school children.

Beginning in 2003, Allawi paid prominent Washington lobbyists and New York publicity agents more than $300,000 to give him access to Washington policy-makers and journalists. The funds passed through his ally in the UK, Masal Nawab. Allawi channelled the report from an Iraqi officer claiming that Iraq could deploy its supposed WMD within "45 minutes" to British Intelligence. This claim was cited when the British government used the information to gain public support for the war. Bush used the information in his State of the Union address to further his rationale for the rush to war.

Allawi is related to Ahmed Chalabi, another prominent former exile and now disgraced U. S. ally, through his sister. The interim minister of trade Ali Allawi is Chalabi's sister's son as well as Iyad Allawi's cousin.

Ann Garrels said on The Al Franken Show yesterday that Allawi is holed up in a highly guarded residence and cannot go out safely. In July a $285,000 reward was offered for anyone who could kill Allawi. Iraq is an extremely dangerous place and there is no end in sight. How will elections be possible? No one can go out from wherever they are hiding to campaign. It won't be possible for the Iraqi people to go to the polls without fear of being killed. This is a failed country.


Yesterday President Bush sat with this terrible man and indicated that we are all indebted to his fine work in Iraq. Bush keeps company with violent men and legitimatzes them by his association and support of them.

Is this right?

[Click on the blog title to go to the truthout.org article which relates to this blog post.]

He Loves Us Not: Molly Ivins

W is for women....................NOT!

Ladies, can we talk? George Bush is not for women. He is not for any of us, for that matter. He's not making a big deal out of it, but that's all the more worrisome. We have a president who takes action on Fridays when no one is watching. We have a president who refuses to talk to us about anything. Even major national human rights and civil rights organizations have been unsuccessful in their attempts to meet with the president. He has maintained a closed-door policy from day one. Bush doesn't even listen to his own advisors. And as far as his phrase "compassionate conservative" goes, he is not compassionate, nor is he conservative. Quite to the contrary, George Bush is a very radical man. To make matters worse, he is very intolerant of the views of others. This is a very dangerous personality, especially, I think, for women, many of whom are too poor and too tired to fight back. Those of us who are strong enough, must fight for our sisters. We must go to the polls on November the 2nd and speak for them. Many of them, statistics tell us, won't be able to get to the polls.

At the core of women's issues is our right to make decisions about our own bodies. If elected, Bush will likely appoint 3 supreme court judges, and with that grim possibility goes our rights and the rights of our daughters and granddaughters. Roe v. Wade will be history. The government will have free access to our medical records. The cost of health care will continue to be cost-prohibitive for more and more Americans. That's a women's issue. More and more people will join the ranks of the poor. That's a women's issue. Overtime pay may be out the window. That a women's issue. Many of us work at jobs where overtime is essential to put food on the table. No Child Left Behind will continue to be an "in name only" fantasy. That's a women's issue. We will continue to be dependent on foreign oil. That is a women's issue. Our energy policy is a matter of national security which is one reason why this is a matter for women. With poor national security and an oil-dependent foreign policy, our sons and daughters and their descendants will be sent to foreign lands to protect oil. And with our interests in the Middle East, Arabs will continue to be at odds with America. Terrorism and war will continue and increase. Women's issue. Our natural resources are being assaulted at all levels. Pollution and polluters get special treatment and tax breaks. Women's issue. Our food supply is hazardous and becoming more so. Women's issue.

George W. Bush is so anti-women that it can't be stated strongly enough. Do you remember the picture of Bush signing the partial birth abortion legislation surrounded by all those Republican men, smiling proudly? It was chilling.

Even the women in Bush's administration are either closely allied with the corporate world and/or the extreme right-wing conservative crowd. They do not represent us. And has anyone noticed how they behave? Very submissive to The Big Cheese in the oval office. You can trust them not to make waves.

Read Molly Ivins article from the September/October 2004 issue of "Mother Jones." Click on the title of this blog to go there.

Please think about which candidate for president will support the issues we as women face every day of our lives.

Kerry is that candidate.

Bush's Lead Balloon

It was predictably a humilating experience to watch our president stand before the General Assembly at the UN yesterday and speak to that august body of world leaders as if he had anything to say to them. Reports were that there was polite applause. ONLY AT THE VERY END! I'm not sure it was polite. They were just glad to have it over with.

Bush is really and truly in his own little world. It sounds so cliche, but how else can it be put? He talked about the poor innocent children in Russia who died in the school attack. He said, "What did these innocent children do to anyone?" No mention at all was made about the innocent in Iraq. They haven't done anything either.

Bush spoke of the importance of respect for women. Give me a break. He talked of justice and dignity. How dare he? He spoke of the rule of law, free speech, and religious tolerance. You can't get any more Orwellian than this. It was mouth-droppingly unbelievable.

Bush: We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace.

How can he say this with a straight face? No one bought it. George Bush advocating patience and peaceful resolution of differences? Don't make me laugh.

Bush: We're determined to destroy terror networks wherever they may operate.

This from a man who has done more to create more terrorists than any man on the planet. Can he think we don't know this?

Our emperor has no clothes. The whole world sees right through him. [Well, almost the whole world. How can anyone be undecided at this point?]

Next year President Kerry will stand at the podium at the UN and make us proud to be Americans once again. The end of this madness is near. Take heart.

Quit Your Blubbering: Michael Moore

Okay, everybody! Let's listen to Uncle Mike. He's got a message for us. Listen up!

Put Away Your Hankies...a message from Michael Moore
9/20/04

Dear Friends,

Enough of the handwringing! Enough of the doomsaying! Do I have to come there and personally calm you down? Stop with all the defeatism, OK? Bush IS a goner -- IF we all just quit our whining and bellyaching and stop shaking like a bunch of nervous ninnies. Geez, this is embarrassing! The Republicans are laughing at us. Do you ever see them cry, "Oh, it's all over! We are finished! Bush can't win! Waaaaaa!"

Hell no. It's never over for them until the last ballot is shredded. They are never finished -- they just keeping moving forward like sharks that never sleep, always pushing, pulling, kicking, blocking, lying.

They are relentless and that is why we secretly admire them -- they just simply never, ever give up. Only 30% of the country calls itself "Republican," yet the Republicans own it all -- the White House, both houses of Congress, the Supreme Court and the majority of the governorships. How do you think they've been able to pull that off considering they are a minority? It's because they eat you and me and every other liberal for breakfast and then spend the rest of the day wreaking havoc on the planet.

Look at us -- what a bunch of crybabies. Bush gets a bounce after his convention and you would have thought the Germans had run through Poland again. The Bushies are coming, the Bushies are coming! Yes, they caught Kerry asleep on the Swift Boat thing. Yes, they found the frequency in Dan Rather and ran with it. Suddenly it's like, "THE END IS NEAR! THE SKY IS FALLING!"

No, it is not. If I hear one more person tell me how lousy a candidate Kerry is and how he can't win... Dammit, of COURSE he's a lousy candidate -- he's a Democrat, for heavens sake! That party is so pathetic, they even lose the elections they win! What were you expecting, Bruce Springsteen heading up the ticket? Bruce would make a helluva president, but guys like him don't run -- and neither do you or I. People like Kerry run.

Yes, OF COURSE any of us would have run a better, smarter, kick-ass campaign. Of course we would have smacked each and every one of those phony swifty boaty bastards down. But WE are not running for president -- Kerry is. So quit complaining and work with what we have. Oprah just gave 300 women a... Pontiac! Did you see any of them frowning and moaning and screaming, "Oh God, NOT a friggin' Pontiac!" Of course not, they were happy. The Pontiacs all had four wheels, an engine and a gas pedal. You want more than that, well, I can't help you. I had a Pontiac once and it lasted a good year. And it was a VERY good year.

My friends, it is time for a reality check.

1. The polls are wrong. They are all over the map like diarrhea. On Friday, one poll had Bush 13 points ahead -- and another poll had them both tied. There are three reasons why the polls are b.s.: One, they are polling "likely voters." "Likely" means those who have consistently voted in the past few elections. So that cuts out young people who are voting for the first time and a ton of non-voters who are definitely going to vote in THIS election. Second, they are not polling people who use their cell phone as their primary phone. Again, that means they are not talking to young people. Finally, most of the polls are weighted with too many Republicans, as pollster John Zogby revealed last week. You are being snookered if you believe any of these polls.

2. Kerry has brought in the Clinton A-team. Instead of shunning Clinton (as Gore did), Kerry has decided to not make that mistake.

3. Traveling around the country, as I've been doing, I gotta tell ya, there is a hell of a lot of unrest out there. Much of it is not being captured by the mainstream press. But it is simmering and it is real. Do not let those well-produced Bush rallies of angry white people scare you. Turn off the TV! (Except Jon Stewart and Bill Moyers -- everything else is just a sugar-coated lie).

4. Conventional wisdom says if the election is decided on "9/11" (the fear of terrorism), Bush wins. But if it is decided on the job we are doing in Iraq, then Bush loses. And folks, that "job," you might have noticed, has descended into the third level of a hell we used to call Vietnam. There is no way out. It is a full-blown mess of a quagmire and the body bags will sadly only mount higher. Regardless of what Kerry meant by his original war vote, he ain't the one who sent those kids to their deaths -- and Mr. and Mrs. Middle America knows it. Had Bush bothered to show up when he was in the "service" he might have somewhat of a clue as to how to recognize an immoral war that cannot be "won." All he has delivered to Iraq was that plasticized turkey last Thanksgiving. It is this failure of monumental proportions that is going to cook his goose come this November.
So, do not despair. All is not over. Far from it. The Bush people need you to believe that it is over. They need you to slump back into your easy chair and feel that sick pain in your gut as you contemplate another four years of George W. Bush. They need you to wish we had a candidate who didn't windsurf and who was just as smart as we were when WE knew Bush was lying about WMD and Saddam planning 9/11. It's like Karl Rove is hypnotizing you -- "Kerry voted for the war...Kerry voted for the war...Kerrrrrryyy vooootted fooooor theeee warrrrrrrrrr..."

Yes...Yes...Yesssss....He did! HE DID! No sense in fighting now...what I need is sleep...sleeep...sleeeeeeppppp...

WAKE UP! The majority are with us! More than half of all Americans are pro-choice, want stronger environmental laws, are appalled that assault weapons are back on the street -- and 54% now believe the war is wrong. YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO CONVINCE THEM OF ANY OF THIS -- YOU JUST HAVE TO GIVE THEM A RAY OF HOPE AND A RIDE TO THE POLLS. CAN YOU DO THAT? WILL YOU DO THAT?

Just for me, please? Buck up. The country is almost back in our hands. Not another negative word until Nov. 3rd! Then you can bitch all you want about how you wish Kerry was still that long-haired kid who once had the courage to stand up for something. Personally, I think that kid is still inside him. Instead of the wailing and gnashing of your teeth, why not hold out a hand to him and help the inner soldier/protester come out and defeat the forces of evil we now so desperately face. Do we have any other choice?

Yours,
Michael Moore

Now do you feel better? We needed a little tough talk! Now get out there and work. Phone bank at your local Kerry headquarters. Have a Kerry house meeting. Keep the faith!

[Click on the blog title above to go directly to Michael's site.]

The Senate Votes No on Homeland Security

Our highest responsibility is to the safety and security of the American people."
- Sen. Bill Frist, 9/15/04


Where did the idea come from that our government is doing all it can to protect us here at home? Well, from Bill Frist, for starters. Our disingenuous Senate Majority leader. He is the head lying liar, the top deceiver of the Senate, the mis-leader who wields tremendous power over our lives. What devastation has he presided over this week? Read on:

Senate conservatives (or so they are called) killed a series of amendments to the 2003 Homeland Security spending bill. These amendments sought to increase 2005 funding for maritime safety, emergency personnel, and air, rail, and chemical security. The total bill for these vital, extra security measures was less than $20 billion- a fraction of the $145 billion spent on Bush's illegal war in Iraq.

[Click on blog title to go to full article.]

Some voters favor Bush because they think he will protect us. Why do they think this? He gives aid and comfort to terrorists on a regular basis. A vote for Bush is a vote for continued fear and perpetual war.

President Kerry will help us begin our recovery. Don't be stupid! [Sorry to use such a word!] Kerry is the intelligent choice- the only intelligent choice. People, voting for John Kerry is crucial.

Porter Goss on Porter Goss: I Am Not Qualified

On Tuesday, August 10th, 2004, George W. Bush nominated Florida Rep. Porter Goss to head the Central Intelligence Agency.

Rep. Porter Goss, appeared briefly in Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11.' But part of his March 3, 2004 interview for the movie, which did not make it into the film, has suddenly taken on major significance. The following is an excerpt from the interview:

INTERVIEWER: [Y]ou come from intelligence. This is what you did, this is what you know.

REP. GOSS: Uh, that was, uh, 35 years ago.

INTERVIEWER: Okay.

REP. GOSS: It is true I was in CIA from approximately the late 50's to approximately the early 70's. And it's true I was a case officer, clandestine services office and yes I do understand the core mission of the business. I couldn't get a job with CIA today. I am not qualified. I don't have the language skills. I, you know, my language skills were romance languages and stuff. We're looking for Arabists today. I don't have the cultural background probably. And I certainly don't have the technical skills, uh, as my children remind me every day, "Dad you got to get better on your computer." Uh, so, the things that you need to have, I don't have.-- Rep. Porter Goss, March 3, 2004, Washington, DC

These statements directly contradict President Bush's comments on Mr. Goss. Pointing to his CIA experience, Bush said, "He knows the CIA inside and out" and "He's the right man to lead this important agency at this critical moment in our nation's history."

Another awesome choice for our country. Our president knows how to pick 'em.

Vote for the real choice in November: John Kerry
(There is no other real choice.)

Freedom Is On the March: What???

Our president is ignoring what is commonly called "reality." John Kerry is speaking the truth. The National Intelligence Estimate, written in July, is not optimistic about Iraq. This report represents the consensus view of the U. S. intelligence community. It says:

Iraq's prospects for stability and self-governance over the next 18 months are, at best, "tenuous."

Yet freedom marches on, according to our president who ignores his own advisors. Saying those words doesn't make it true, as we all know. How damaging it is for the president to say things which bear no resemblance to reality, yet give some people a false sense of his great "accomplishments!"

Bush distorts the truth. Our soldiers die.

Some misguided, or shall we say deceived, citizens still believe that Bush is more trustworthy than Kerry on the Iraq issue. This is so mind-boggling. It defies any logic. The guy with the horrible performance record (Bush) still manages to trick people into thinking he will make things better in Iraq. Why do some people continue to support Bush? He got us into this quagmire in the first place. We would not be there were it not for Bush. Some of us have noticed that Bush NEVER mentions the high casualty numbers, the spread of terrorism, kidnappings, beheadings, and the growing anti-American insurgency in Baghdad. He continues to chant "Freedom is on the march!" Yes, freedom is marching right out the window, both for Iraqis and Americans.

John Kerry is our only hope. We must elect him. He will start us back on the road to freedom and to restoration. Our broken country is too precious to risk another day of George Bush.

[Click on title above to go to WaPo article published 09/17/2004.]

Freedom or Gates of Hell: Which Is It?

Yesterday Zell Miller said:

"John Kerry and his crowd derisively call American troops "occupiers" because it fits with their warped belief that America is the problem, not the solution. While more than 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq are enjoying freedom, Mr. Kerry is still fretting over whether the U.N. crowd likes us or not. The American people will not abide a commander in chief who gets squeamish over America's role as a liberating force in the world."

Contrast this with the statement from The Arab League:

The gates of Hell have been opened in Baghdad.

So which is it do you suppose? Does freedom include aerial bombardments and other military operations that target Iraqi civilians? Does freedom include inhuman and immoral crimes and practices committed by occupation soldiers against Iraqis?

Freedom in Iraq is not happening. So the Iraqi people are not enjoying freedom. Far from it.

Bush: No, Kerry: YES! on National Security

Do you read the Daily Mis-Lead? Today's post says that Bush isn't really strong on finding al-Qaeda people, including, of course, OBL. He gives the impression that this is his top priority. It is not. What is his top priority? Retaining his current address at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He has been staying there for nearly 4 years, but he didn't really get elected as we all know. Now it is time for him to start packing. Why?

Our president is not protecting us. He has slacked off on the hunt for al Qaeda. That's not what he tells us, but then he does lie to and mislead us on a regular basis.
Do not trust George Bush. He cares about one thing, and one thing only: getting elected just this once.

Read the Daily Mis-Lead by clicking on the title of this blog. You'll read that the inaction and ineptitude of our president has allowed al-Qaeda to regroup. In July 2004, senior intelligence officials reported that bin Laden and other top al-Qaeda leaders are now directing a plot "to carry out a large-scale terror attack against the U. S." and are overseeing the plan "from their remote hideouts somewhere along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border." The sources are all provided.

Who would vote for an incumbent president who ignores the warnings his own senior intelligence people and then claims to be the better candidate to handle national security issues? I'm just asking.

Bush Is Stealing From Your Wallet: $1000 Per Year

We are being duped. Bush has not protected us against the oil industry. We are being bilked, and Bush is OK with that. $1000 every year for the last 4 years. Click on the blog title to see more. (To get to the Energy part, scroll down to the bottom where it says "Under the Radar.") Most of what Bush does to steal from us is done under the radar. He is counting on the fact that we won't find out until he's safely in place for a second term in office. Then he won't mind if we find out what dastardly things he has done to us.


ENERGY – THE PRICE OF UNCHECKED CONSOLIDATION: According to a new report by leading consumer groups, Americans "have been hit by an average $1,000 increase in their annual household energy bills during the past four years, draining more than $500 billion from the economy." The report by Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of America shows "much of these higher prices are due to unchecked consolidation in the oil and gas industry, which has resulted in a lack of competition and increased profits – close to $100 billion – for oil and gas companies since 2000." Instead of addressing this consolidation, the Bush administration has done the bidding of its financiers in the oil industry. According to research by Bloomberg News, "President George W. Bush allowed an increase in oil-refinery mergers to go unchecked since he took office and may have contributed to the highest gasoline prices in 20 years." Specifically, the Bush administration "approved 33 takeovers totaling $19.5 billion" – a far higher rate than the 21 mergers worth $7.3 billion approved under President Bill Clinton. Making matters worse, earlier this year Bush appointed a ChevronTexaco lawyer to head up the Federal Trade Commission – the government agency responsible for approving or rejecting industry mergers.

I will vote for John Kerry and John Edwards on November 2nd because I believe they will protect us in every way humanly possible. How do I know that for sure? Call it trust. I trust them more than their opponents. Bush and Cheney cannot be trusted. I am sure that Bush will continue helping the rich and shrinking the middle class. I am very confident Kerry will do the opposite. I am willing, very willing, to take that chance.

It's Official: Rush Is On Bush/Cheney Team

Christmas in September! Rush Limbaugh is advising the B/C campaign. What a nice present for the opposition in my opinion! Read the announcement by clicking on the title of this blog.

Was this Karl Rove's idea? Zell Miller, now Rush! It gets zanier every day.

Kerry Did NOT Vote for the Iraq War

Can we get this sorted out once and for all? Kerry has NEVER changed his position on the Iraq War. He voted to give the president the authority to use force as a last resort so that he could go to the United Nations with the solid backing of our country in order to achieve peace.

Bush made it clear that the purpose of the resolution was to avoid war. Now Kerry is accused of voting for the war. This is a lie. He was voting to support the president who said he wanted peace. Please help your friends who are confused about this to understand the truth. This confusion could buy Bush a second term, and we cannot afford that.

Here is a post from Al Franken's blog:

Stolen from the Al Franken Show's blog:

Here's what Bush said in 2002:
Q Mr. President, how important is it that that resolution give you an authorization of the use of force?

BUSH: That will be part of the resolution, the authorization to use force. If you want to keep the peace, you've got to have the authorization to use force. But it's -- this will be -- this is a chance for Congress to indicate support. It's a chance for Congress to say, we support the administration's ability to keep the peace. That's what this is all about.

Okay, once again:

BUSH: It's a chance for Congress to say, we support the administration's ability to keep the peace. That's what this is all about.Remember? Bush said he wanted the authorization to use force so that he'd have a strong bargaining chip at the United Nations--and that the U.N. would get new inspectors in, and that, maybe, this would lead to Saddam disarming without a war.

That's why Kerry voted for the resolution.

As he said at the time,
Let me be clear, the vote I will give to the President is for one reason and one reason only: To disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, if we cannot accomplish that objective through new, tough weapons inspections in joint concert with our allies.

And we did get new, tough weapons inspections in joint concert with our allies. And then Bush blew it by invading anyway.

It wasn't just possible to support the resolution without supporting Bush's war--avoiding war was the specific reason Bush gave to support the resolution. There's nothing incoherent about Kerry's position. Bush blew it. The resolution had the effect (getting inspectors back in) that Kerry had intended. He was right. W was wrong.

(Oh, and when Bush's spokesman says "John Kerry voted for the war"--it's a lie.)

Go To America To Buy Your Guns: al Qaeda

Bush is soft on terror. Don't let him kid you. He remains silent on the federal assault weapons ban that expired today. An al Qaeda training manual recovered in Afghanistan advised terrorists that it is easy to obtain guns in the US.

The NRA owns our president. The organization has "put the squeeze on George Bush." The NRA is spending millions of dollars to get Bush a second term. A mutual admiration society which puts America at risk. Bush is increasing the chances of crime and encouraging terrorists to come here and load up.

Give me your angry, your forlorn,
Your terrorists yearning to buy guns.....

George Bush welcomes you.

[Click on title to see article by Edward Epstein, published 9/11/04.]

Who Is Soft on Terror: Bush

Craig Unger, author of "House of Bush, House of Saud," reminds us that Bush has let al-Qaida off the hook. He has not played hardball with terrorists as Bush would like us to think. No, Bush is not strong against the terrorists. He ignored specific warnings in the summer of 2001 that Osama bin Laden planned to use airplanes to fly into buildings in the United States. Bush non-chalantly went on his regularly scheduled vacation and did not meet with his security advisors for weeks. He went bass fishing instead.

When told of the WTC attacks, he sat trance-like in a Florida elementary school classroom holding a book about a pet goat. He sat for seven minutes.

Bush is soft on terror. He is a coward. He opposed the establishment of a 9-11 commission. Did he not want to know the truth? He has been soft on Saudi Arabia. The Bushes have been very close friends with the Saudi royal family for decades. Though 15 of the 19 9-11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, Bush has bent over backwards to protect the Saudis from scrutiny. He has sold us down the river. Family loyalty comes before national security. It is impossible to believe, but true, that our "president" entertained Bandar Bush, Saudi ambassador and member of the Saudi royal family, on the Truman balcony at the WH two days after the tragedy on 9-11. They lit up Cohiba cigars. Bush did this, knowing full well that Saudi Arabia was the primary source of money for al-Qaida. Our "president" welcomed this al-Qaida supporter to our White House. That very afternoon Bush approved a plan to allow more than 140 Saudis to flee the country. Eleven chartered planes were provided to whisk away these people, many of whom were members of the bin Laden family, and most of whom were not interviewed before departing, much to the dismay of the FBI. The biggest crime in US history- yet Bush helped the Saudis first, putting America second, and possibly irreversibly compromised.

Senator Bob Graham, in his new book, "Intelligence Matters," now claims that the Saudis may have played an even bigger role in 9-11 than previously reported. He found out that at least 2 of the 19 hijackers were officially supported by the Saudi government. The Bush administration quashed Graham's efforts, as co-chair of the joint House-Senate panel investigating 9-11, to get to the bottom of the Saudi role in 9-11. For the first time in his senatorial career, Graham says the FBI refused to provide a congressional subpoena. The WH had directed this unprecedented move. The 9-11 commission report was not complete since 27 pages, concerning the role of the Saudis in 9/11, was deemed classified by the WH and could not be released to the public.

Bush puts friends first before country. Could this be any more obvious? Our safety is secondary. Don't let Bush convince you that national security is his top priority or that defending this nation is his first and foremost concern. Bandar comes first. Bush's only hope is that we will live in fear and vote in fear.

We will not live in fear.
[Click on blog title above to access the Unger article published 9/11/2004 by The Guardian/UK.]

Kerry Is Within Striking Distance in Virginia

The Washington Post has announced that Virginia is getting bluer and bluer. Republican Attorney General Jerry Kilgore of Virginia has sounded the alarm. (He is the chairman of Bush's "re-" election campaign.)

Kilgore writes: "Many experts will tell you, Virginia is in play.......polls show [Kerry] is within striking distance of the President."

Shucks! I was hoping they wouldn't notice until November 3rd.

[Read article by clicking on blog title above.]

Maureen Dowd: Cheney Spits Toads

Maureen Dowd minces no words. Her NYT piece is very entertaining, especially if you believe that Dick Cheney has no decency. That's all of us, right?

Dowd writes:
In 1992, the senior Mr. Bush wooed the voters with "Message: I care." So this week, Mr. Cheney wooed the voters with, Message: You die.

The terrible beauty of its simplicity grows on you. It is a sign of the dark, macho, paranoid vice president's restraint that he didn't really take it to its emotionally satisfying conclusion: Message: Vote for us or we'll kill you.

It's like that fairy tale where vipers and toads jump out of the mouth of the accursed mean little girl when she tries to speak. Every time Mr. Cheney opens his mouth, vermin leap out.

[Click on title of this blog above to take you to Dowd's article.]

Jimmy Carter: A Man of Character and Grace Writes to Zell

The text of a letter former President Carter sent to Zell Miller over the weekend ...

You seem to have forgotten that loyal Democrats elected you as mayor and as state senator. Loyal Democrats, including members of my family and me, elected you as lieutenant governor and as governor. It was a loyal Democrat, Lester Maddox, who assigned you to high positions in the state government when you were out of office. It was a loyal Democrat, Roy Barnes, who appointed you as U.S. Senator when you were out of office. By your historically unprecedented disloyalty, you have betrayed our trust.

Great Georgia Democrats who served in the past, including Walter George, Richard Russell, Herman Talmadge, and Sam Nunn disagreed strongly with the policies of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and me, but they remained loyal to the party in which they gained their public office. Other Democrats, because of philosophical differences or the race issue, like Bo Callaway and Strom Thurmond, at least had the decency to become Republicans.

Everyone knows that you were chosen to speak at the Republican Convention because of your being a “Democrat,” and it’s quite possible that your rabid and mean-spirited speech damaged our party and paid the Republicans some transient dividends.

Perhaps more troublesome of all is seeing you adopt an established and very effective Republican campaign technique of destroying the character of opponents by wild and false allegations. The Bush campaign’s personal attacks on the character of John McCain in South Carolina in 2000 was a vivid example. The claim that war hero Max Cleland was a disloyal American and an ally of Osama bin Laden should have given you pause, but you have joined in this ploy by your bizarre claims that another war hero, John Kerry, would not defend the security of our nation except with spitballs. (This is the same man whom you described previously as “one of this nation's authentic heroes, one of this party's best-known and greatest leaders -- and a good friend.")

I, myself, never claimed to have been a war hero, but I served in the navy from 1942 to 1953, and, as president, greatly strengthened our military forces and protected our nation and its interests in every way. I don’t believe this warrants your referring to me as a pacificist.
Zell, I have known you for forty-two years and have, in the past, respected you as a trustworthy political leader and a personal friend. But now, there are many of us loyal Democrats who feel uncomfortable in seeing that you have chosen the rich over the poor, unilateral preemptive war over a strong nation united with others for peace, lies and obfuscation over the truth, and the political technique of personal character assassination as a way to win elections or to garner a few moments of applause. These are not the characteristics of great Democrats whose legacy you and I have inherited.

Jimmy Carter
A true patriot, peacemaker, and humanitarian

A Mythic Reality

Paul Krugman's NYT editorial today addresses the phenomenom that occurs when war psychology takes hold. The public believes in a "mythic reality," a world where we are good, and they are bad. We are pure, and they are evil. When this happens, those in power benefit greatly. The people will more willingly stand behind the leader, right or wrong. Even the least deserving leader (Bush would, of course, qualify there) can become an heroic figure. Bush has taken advantage of war psychology. He has exploited the surge of support after 9-11 for partisan gain. The fight against Al Qaeda became a universal "war on terror." Then we heard about the "axis of evil." Nobody knows where it all ends, according to Krugman.

If we Americans ignore the real world situation and allow ourselves to mindlessly panic and buy into the fear, we will risk a Bush win.

But I do have confidence in the citizens of America. We are smarter than that- at least a majority of us. If ever there were a good fight, this one is it.

[Click on the blog title to take you to Krugman's article.]

Troop Injuries: Highest Toll Yet

Good people-
While George Bush continues to blabber away, trying desperately to get enough votes to win himself a second term, our troops are sustaining record numbers of severe injuries in Iraq. Due to Bush's miscalculations and horrific errors in judgement, American soldiers are paying dearly. both physically, mentally, and spiritually. Their lives are being changed forever daily. The Washington Post reported today that some 1100 US soldiers and marines were wounded in Iraq during August, by far the highest combat injury toll for any month since the war began.

We hear from the Bush administration phrases like, "when we took Baghdad." We have not taken Baghdad or any part of Iraq yet. Battles continue to rage in Najaf, Fallujah, Ramadi, Samarra, and Baghdad, all of which remain under the control of insurgents fully two months after the so-called transfer of political authority. Don't let anyone tell you we are experiencing success in Iraq or that we are even making the slightest progress. We are not.

Col. Ryck Beitz, commander of the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad, reported that the rate of acute cases jumped from 2 out of 4 to 3 out of 4 ER patients. The injuries are increasing in number and are also increasing in severity it appears.

What are our troops up against? They are facing very difficult situations where children are lobbing grenades at them. What soldier wants to "put a bead on a kid?" said Capt. Chris Ford, company commander of the 1st Cavalry. The children are paid $150 to toss grenades at American soldiers.

Why are we in Iraq? Is there a good enough reason for our soldiers to die? I do not think so.

"Saddam is a bad man" is not a good enough reason. There are many bad men in the world. Surely our foreign policy will not be to take out all bad men in the world, will it? Or will it? For every bad man we kill, we spawn perhaps a dozen more men who hate America.

Is this a smart plan? I don't think so.

[Click on the blog title to go to the WaPo article.]

Take Away the Car Keys

Greetings, dear friends!
Here is a post from DailyKos website. The last paragraph caught my eye. My opinion: Yes! Yes! Yes! Pry those car keys out of the hands of our wreckless "president." Surely his license will expire in about 8 weeks. He must not be allowed to renew.

Welcome to Iraq, Mr. President
by DemFromCT Sun Sep 5th, 2004 at 13:41:03 GMT

In case anyone forgets what this election is (or should be ) about.

Even as the 2004 political campaign continues to focus on refighting the Vietnam War, one thing is certain: whoever wins the presidency will have other priorities. It will be the war in Iraq, the war that this generation of Americans is actually fighting and dying in, that George W. Bush or John Kerry will have to confront. Either man will have to do so at a time when Iraq poses difficult, perhaps even impossible, options for United States policymakers.

In terms of policy, it is in no way clear that the president and Senator Kerry are all that far apart on Iraq. What is clear, even in the depths of a political campaign, is that many hard choices await the winner -- and he won't have much time to make them. There is a broad consensus that Iraq has reached what the military calls an inflection point, a crucial period when things could get a lot worse or a lot better very quickly. The next administration's first decisions may well determine the outcome.

Bad choices and badder choices. But one of the candidates put us there (the voters are clear on that). I wonder how Bush will run away from that? And how will Dems (not just Kerry) clarify the situation on the ground? Do you leave the car keys with the guy who drove us into the ditch? Or do you take them away and turn the driving over to a grown-up?

Daddy George

White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card said on September 2nd that Bush sees our country as "a 10-year-old child" in need of protection provided by a parent.

Just over the last year, 1.3 million people have fallen into poverty, including 700,000 children, and 1.4 million people have lost their health insurance while family incomes have declined three years in a row.

I've heard of children disowning their parents. I think we need to follow their example in November. Our dad is a phony. He will not take care of us. He has not taken care of us. He never set out to take care of us in the first place.

To John Kerry, people matter. At this moment, he cannot know exactly what he will do when he is president, but we can be assured of one thing: John Kerry will work to improve the lives of all Americans and to repair our damaged world reputation.

George, You're No Forest Gump

Those of you who check out BuzzFlash from time to time (or daily!) know that sometimes a BuzzFlash reader will write a short article. Here's one entitled "Don't Insult Forest Gump."

http://www.buzzflash.com/contributors/04/09/con04364.html

The reader urges BuzzFlash to retract a headline comparing W. to Forest Gump and to offer an apology to Forest and all Vietnam vets who volunteered to serve while Bush was boozing and carousing safely at home.

"To paraphrase Lloyd Bentson, distinguished former Senator from Texas, 'I know Forest Gump, and George W. Bush is no Forest Gump.' "

Band-Aids, Bullets, and Broken Hearts

Read the article by John Cory, freelance writer and decorated Vietnam veteran, including the Purple Heart. It's about the hilarious Republican joke at their convention. Remember the band-aids with the purple hearts on them? It was so funny. Funny like death is funny.

Do they have no decency? Rather than talking about the issues and what their party stands for in this election, they spent time mocking John Kerry. Did you see the "Flip-Flop" games they played? It was elementary school all over again. There are some things that are off-limits. A dead or wounded soldier is one of them.

The Republicans are going to need more than band-aids to stem the bleeding of votes on November 2nd. There's a big gash where Americans are flowing toward the Kerry campaign.

[As always, click on the title of this blog to go to the Cory article.]

Eighteen Short Months Can Make Such a Difference

I could not listen to Zell Miller's speech last night. I had an excuse. I am borderline hypertensive. So it was a health issue. However, I have heard excerpts of the speech and have listened to commentary today on Air America Radio.

Jimmy Breslin said that Zell Miller doesn't deserve 5 seconds of talk. But it is so infuriating to hear the ludicrous lies. Why? Because people believe this stuff. So here is what Zell himself said just 18 months ago when he introduced John Kerry (you read that right) at a Georgia gathering (March 2001):

http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/090304Y.shtml

In Miller's world, lies are truth. We aren't allowed to have it both ways. Why should he? ( unless he is in a padded room somewhere) And this isn't just a small matter. Our entire existence hangs in the balance. Do people realize this?

As for the Repulsive National Convention, Madison Square Garden has been tranformed into Fantasy Island. It is terrifying. I am scared. Very scared.

May our collective fear of Bush be turned into energy to do what we have to do. I've got to be willing to venture out of my comfort zone. The alternative is just not an option.

The Ebert and McCain Show

Hello Readers:
This article by Michael Moore is quite good. As you may know, Michael is at the RNC this week as a credentialed journalist. Nobody told McCain that Michael was there it would seem. McCain interrupted his own speech with an attack on the film "Fahrenheit 911," a film McCain has not seen, he later told Chris Matthews on MSNBC. Well, you can read the rest of the story....

Ebert and McCain show - by Michael Moore
By Michael Moore / USA Today

NEW YORK — Poor John McCain.
Here's a guy I've always sort of liked, a courageous war hero reduced to carrying water for the Bush campaign. (Related stories: Moore index page)

So it was Monday night, as I sat in the press section — unbeknownst to Sen. McCain — when he switched from pro-war convention speaker to film critic. Out of nowhere, he began to attack my movie, Fahrenheit 9/11, calling me a "disingenuous filmmaker." The problem is, he hasn't seen the movie, a fact he later admitted to Chris Matthews on MSNBC.

I know Republicans are mad that my film may have convinced just enough people to tip the balance in this election. Yet with all the serious issues facing our country, and right smack in the middle of an important speech about the need to catch the terrorists and continue the war in Iraq, McCain decided to turn the convention into the Ebert and McCain Show. He claimed that I portrayed Saddam's Iraq as an "oasis of peace."

Some of the 20 million who have seen the film must have wondered, "Did I miss that scene? I knew I shouldn't have gone out for those Goobers." All I can imagine McCain was referring to was a brief cutaway just as President Bush announces the commencement of the bombing of Baghdad on March 19, 2003.

Human-rights groups say thousands of civilians were killed because of our bombing. I thought it would be worthwhile to show some of the faces of Iraqi people who might soon meet their death.
I felt really bad for McCain standing there on the stage. The man wanted to be president. That dream was snuffed out during the 2000 primaries, when George W. Bush's supporters spread nasty rumors about what five and a half years in a North Vietnamese POW camp might have done to McCain's sanity.

Then there were the calls to potential white voters in South Carolina to inform them that McCain had a "black baby." (He and his wife adopted a child from Bangladesh.) The Bush supporters also spread other rumors that questioned McCain's patriotism, even though the man was a decorated war hero while W. chose to oh, let's not get into that again.
Still, McCain has offered to soldier on for Bush. So how does Bush's campaign treat him? It doesn't tell him I might be in the press section, officially credentialed.
It has him say some gibberish about my movie. Everyone then sees me, I start laughing my ball cap off, the crowd goes bananas, and poor McCain must think he said something funny or cool, so he says, "That line was so good, I'll use it again."

Agghh!

Thousands of Republicans turned to me chanting "Four more years." I thought, "That's strange, Republicans are usually good at math, but they're off by a few dozen months. Bush only has two months left." So I held up two fingers to correct their miscalculation. But that just drove them into more of a frenzy.

If you have never had this happen to you, I insist you try it at least once in your life. It is better than an angry mosh pit at a Slayer concert. As a quiet salute to Beavis and Butthead, I held up my index finger and thumb in an "L" — the international sign for loser — which is what I hope their candidate is about to become.

As for McCain, he had to beg the mob to be silent and listen to the rest of his speech. He must have wondered why a party that promises to protect us from terrorists booed my name more loudly than Saddam's or Osama's. Actually, no one mentioned the "O" name Monday night because, well, that would acknowledge that they have failed to find him.
Perhaps that is why Bush told Today anchor Matt Lauer that we can't win the war against terrorism. Perhaps that is why they were more mad at me than the bad guys. I'm much easier to remove.

Maybe I'll call up McCain and treat him to a movie down the block, one I know he will enjoy, considering he agreed that I was right when Chris Matthews said a main point of my movie is that "war is often fought by people without power."
If he will join me at the movies, he'll see brave soldiers like himself face the camera and tell the truth to the American people about what is going on in a place called Iraq.



August 31st, 2004 2:06 pm Mike Takes Center Stage at the RNC (video)

From Swift Boat to Fast Ship

Oh, the irony of it all! Are we surprised that Rear Admiral William L. Schachte, Jr., one of the infamous swift boat liars for truth, is a top lobbyist for a defense contractor that recently won a $40 million grant from the Bush administration?

We are not surprised!

A company named FastShip got the huge contract. From Swift Boat to FastShip. You can't make this stuff up.

For even more details, read the Daily Mislead by clicking on the blog title above.