Remember when the largest crisis facing America was Bill Clinton getting a blow job from Monica Lewinsky? For over four years all the media and Republicans talked about was Bill Clinton’s blow job. Man, those were the days.

We had not a care in a world as a Nation. There were no terror alerts, no Patriot Act, no Iraq War, and no Dept of Homeland Security. There was no Gitmo, Abu Ghraib, and unchecked spying on Americans. The NeoCons were NOT on TV day in and day out calling for World War 3. The economy was roaring as more Americans entered the Middle Class. The rich got richer and so did the poor.

We had a budget surplus and plans to pay off the National Debt by 2012.

When the 2000 election campaign started, the Republicans and Bush promised to restore “honor and dignity” to the White House. Is that what we have now? Honor and dignity in the White House?

Republicans can change a lot of things. They can bomb countries and shrink the Middle Class. They can fuck up Medicare and outsource jobs. They can cut student loans and ruin our military. Republicans can even send an asshole like John Bolton to the U.N.

But there is one thing Republicans CANNOT change and that is how great the 90’s were and what an awesome President Bill Clinton was. Republicans will never take that away from me. I lived through 1992 – 2000 and I can tell you those years were spectacular. Had I knew that in 2006 things would be this fucked up I would have made sure to enjoy the 90’s even more than I did.

Now, Republicans can try to convince people that the 90’s weren’t all that great. They can try to blame all of Bush’s failures on Clinton but what they cannot do is change the facts.

The majority of Americans lived through the 90’s and understand what a glorious time it was. No amount of Republican Orwellian double newspeak can change that. They may be able to, in the future, convince a younger generation that was not alive during the 90’s that the time under Clinton’s Presidency was horrible but they will never be able to convince the living of this.

I guess if you are an authoritarian personality with a bad case of warmongering and happen to be in the top 3% of wage earners then perhaps the Clinton Presidency wasn’t so good for you. If you are a wingnut who wants to be tucked in at night and have government check under your bed for terrorists before night-night time then the Clinton Presidency must have sucked.

For all others, the 77% of Americans, the Clinton Era was the Golden Age of America.

Posted by PoliShifter at 06:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

"While we hoped that popular revolt or coup would topple Saddam, neither the U.S. nor the countries of the region wished to see the breakup of the Iraqi state. We were concerned about the long-term balance of power at the head of the Gulf. Trying to eliminate Saddam, extending the ground war into an occupation of Iraq, would have violated our guideline about not changing objectives in midstream, engaging in "mission creep," and would have incurred incalculable human and political costs.
#
We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq. The coalition would instantly have collapsed, the Arabs deserting it in anger and other allies pulling out as well. Under those circumstances, furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-cold war world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the U.N.'s mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression we hoped to establish.

Had we gone the invasion route, the U.S. could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land. It would have been a dramatically different--and perhaps barren--outcome."

- George H W Bush

From The Memory Hole

Excerpt from "Why We Didn't Remove Saddam" by George Bush [Sr.] and Brent Scowcroft, Time (2 March 1998)
the same passage appears on page 489 of Bush and Scowcroft's book, A World Transformed (Alfred A. Knopf, 1998)

Link to quote: The Memory Hole - Reasons Not to Invade Iraq

Posted by PoliShifter at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Our purpose for invading and occupying Iraq was to secure a military stronghold in the Middle East. The purpose for having a large military footprint in the Middle East is two fold:

1) Provide a military buffer for Israel which is flanked by hostile countries
2) Protect our oil interests

Since this is our objective, what we should have done, indeed what we should do, is buy a piece of God-Forsaken land somewhere in the Middle East, preferrably Western Iraq bordering Syria. One the escrow closed we then could have and still could begin building a Vatican Like Fortress as we are doing now in Baghdad.

In this world money is everything; it has the power to make friends out of enemies. The King of Saudi Arabia is best friends with Bush. Yet most of the 9/11 hijackers came from Saudi Arabia as well as Osama Bin Laden. We buy oil from Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia gives money to Lebanon. We have military installations in the U.A.E. which bought 29 of our ports AND launders money for Al Qaeda. We sell nuke components to India which in turn sells them to Iran. Money is everything.

Instead of spending $400 billion on a failed invasion that in the process cost the lives of 2579 U.S. soldiers and 100,000 Iraqis, we could have bought a piece of Iraq for about $100 Billion then used the rest of the money to build our huge base.

Think about...Do you really think Saddam would have pulled any shit knowing the U.S. military is next store?

Do you think Hezbollah would fuck with Israel knowing the U.S. Military is right next store? We would have battle ready troops well versed in desert combat that at a momments notice could quash any militia uprising.

Once our military footprint is established we could then begin building a Middle Eastern Interstate highway system much like our currrent highway system. This would provide jobs, fuel the economy, and make sure our military had viable supply lines throughout the Middle East.

Once we have the Middle East highway completed then we would be able to move troops anywhere and everywhere in the Middle East at a momment's notice. Supply lines would be a non-issue.

The result would be peace and stability. Ofcourse our designs from the get-go would have to be heavily laquered with economic advantages of having a Middle Eastern highway system as well as a U.S. military presence. Once peace and stability are established, people can go about the business of living rather than dying. The process of living involves consumption which leads to market places and the formation of an economy.

One of the reason the United States is so successful is because we are all tamed. We no longer seek to violently overthrow our government or its political parties. This was done in part by killing off 95% of the indigenous population but also by connecting the entire country. First there was the transcontinental rail road and later the Interstate Highway system. Our military is so advanced and so mobile that it can quickly destroy any militia or armed political party that is seeking to obtain power. We are all good sheep chewing the grass without a care in the world so long as the TV works and the internet tubes aren't clogged.

The Middle East doesn't have this luxury. Small countries do not have adequate armies or viable supply routes. This makes it possible for organized militias to create instability in the region. The instability leads to the death of innocent civilians which in turn pushes public support to be in favor of the militias.

The sad thing about the current situation is that for all the brilliance and experience of our military and the British military, we have all been played by Hezbollah which even out stratgerized Israel.

Now, I have read that the two Israeli troops taken prisoner by Hezbollah were actually in Southern Lebanon, not Israel but that is another story. What happened either way was that Hezbollah took 2 Israeli soldiers knowing Israel would respond disproportionately. Hezbollah hid within the civilian population so that when they were targeted, innocent civilians were killed. This has only fueld more public support in Lebanon for Hezbollah.

Bush and Blair are suckers

But that is an article for another time.

Posted by PoliShifter at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Ain't this fun? Nothing like good old fashioned war profiteering making money off both sides of the conflict while simultaneously setting yourself up to make more money off of future conflicts.

From Boston.Com - The Boston Globe:

Markey accuses White House of duplicity
Says Bush delays news of sanctions on Indian firms

By Farah Stockman, Globe Staff | July 29, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Massachusetts congressman Edward Markey yesterday accused the Bush administration of delaying an announcement that the United States plans to impose sanctions on two Indian companies for assisting in Iran's missile program.

Markey , a Malden Democrat, said the administration is withholding the announcement for fear that it would jeopardize chances of getting congressional approval for a controversial proposal to sell nuclear technology to India.

The measure, which would make India the only country in the world to receive sensitive nuclear technology from the United States without signing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives late Wednesday. It now goes to the Senate.

The State Department is not expected to release the report on which Indian firms have been sanctioned until next week. But Reuters quoted two US officials yesterday saying that two Indian firms were being sanctioned for selling missiles-related technology to Iran.

``The Bush administration has once again delayed, obfuscated, and misled this Congress by withholding information about these violations by Indian entities before we voted to grant historic nuclear cooperation with the Indian government," Markey, one of the most vocal critics of the measure, said in a statement yesterday.

The Bush administration has touted the nuclear deal with India as a way to cement a historic new US-India alliance and said that helping India build civilian nuclear power plants would also make the rapidly growing South Asian nation less reliant on Iranian oil and gas and more willing to support sanctions on Iran over it's nuclear program.

But opponents of the pact say that it will not push India to give up its friendship with Iran.

Continue reading at Boston.Com - The Boston Globe

How much longer will the wingnuts believe that Bush the so-called President really wants to keep us safe? How much longer will they fall for the tired fear mongering rhetoric?

Here we have Bush who wants us all to pee our pants over the prospect of Iran gettting nukes. And yet, Bush wants to sell nuclear technology to India which we already know is selling that technology to Iran!!

We have Bush who wants to keep us safe so what does he do? Push for selling our ports to the United Arab Emirates, a company that funded Al Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden!! Guess what? The U.A.E. STILL owns our ports!!

Wake up wingnuts. Bush will not keep you safe; he will not protect you. He will keep you in a constant state of fear so he can lord power over your but he will never keep you safe. The Bush Administration wants more conflict and more tension in order to maintain the only two things they care about: Power and Money.

Posted by PoliShifter at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Regarding today's press conference:

Why does the President get so angry and talk down to us as if we were children? As if we have done something wrong and now he has to punish us?

Posted by PoliShifter at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm watching Blair and Bush give their pep rally today. One thing they keep saying is that they want to establish Freedom and Democracy.

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought Hezbollah was democratically elected?

yep, they were...

Who are the violent, brutal killers? The U.S. or Hezbollah? What are the death tolls committed by Hezbollah and Al Qaeda versus Israel and the United States?

We've got more than a perception problem, we've got a reality problem: A failure to perceive reality exactly how it is.

Our leaders know the truth, goals and designs for the Middle East but they are feeding you a bunch of Bull Shit.

Will you be fooled (again)?

Posted by PoliShifter at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by PoliShifter at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Reuters Alert:

By Lin Noueihed

BEIRUT, July 27 (Reuters) - Along Lebanon's sandy beaches and rocky headlands runs a belt of black sludge, 10,000 to 30,000 tonnes of oil that spilled into the Mediterranean Sea after Israel bombed a power plant.

Lebanon's Environment Ministry says the oil flooded into the sea when Israeli jets hit storage tanks at the Jiyyeh plant south of Beirut on July 13 and 15, creating an ecological crisis that Lebanon's government has neither the money nor the expertise to deal with.

"We have never seen a spill like this in the history of Lebanon. It is a major catastrophe," Environment Minister Yacoub al-Sarraf told Reuters.

"The equipment we have is for minor spills. We use it once in a blue moon to clean a small spill of 50 tonnes or so. To clean this whole thing up we would need an armada ... The cost of a full clean-up could run as high as $40-50 million."

Continue Reading

Posted by PoliShifter at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Bill Clinton "gay"
Al Gore "total fag"
Liberals "sucking the brains out of little babies"

Watch it...or not...One thing is certain is that her style of getting media attention to sell books, works.

Posted by PoliShifter at 09:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have this feeling in the pit of my stomach like I am stuck on a 747 in the process of crashing only the passengers are the entire planet and George W Bush is the pilot.

It’s been nearly five years since the tragedy of 9/11 and STILL I hear wingnuts propagandizing that tragedy for their own political gain. Exactly what is their political gain?

It seems more and more the wingnuts on the right being driven by NeoCon ideology are gleefully calling for all out war. These people want more bloodshed on a massive scale. Their instinct is war not peace. To what end? Those that wear moderate masks won’t dare say the goal is to wipe out Islam and kill as many Muslims as possible. However, the “moderates” are being driven by the extremists in this country to accomplish that very goal. In a similar fashion the moderates in Shi’a countries are being driven by the extremist’s call to wipe out Israel.

The sad thing about all of this is that the wingnuts for being as smart and savvy as they think they are, are being completely bamboozled by the Bush Administration.

The only doctrine that drives the Bush Administration consists of maintaining Power and Money. That’s all that drives the Bush Administration, nothing else. They want to make as much money as possible while maintaining power.

This is why the Bush Administration plays both sides of this conflict. We send bombs to Israel while at the same time sending humanitarian aide to Lebanon. Doesn’t that seem counterproductive? The Bush Administration does not care. All they want is the ability to sell more weapons, more bombs, which will lead to more destruction, which ultimately will lead to more government contracts to their corporate crony buddies.

The Bush Crime Family has been involved in War Profiteering since World War 1 going all the way back to GrandPappy Prescott Bush who as a Nazi Sympathizer.

The difference between the Bushstappo and most normal people is this:

When normal people see a photo of a dead mother clenching her dead baby, normal people are visibly moved and upset over the horrific image presented.

When the Bushstappo looks at an image of a dead mother clenching her dead baby, a glint occurs in their eye. Immediately they wonder how they were killed, what type of weapon was used, who sold it to them, and can this event be capitalized on in such a manner to increase the conflict.

Controlled chaos is the goal; a permanent state of war in the world in order to line the pockets of the War Profiteers.

Posted by PoliShifter at 09:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Source: Think Progress

Here is some of the right wings' mass email:

Text of GrasstopsUSA Email:

KILL ‘EM ALL. LET ALLAH SORT ‘EM OUT.
GrassTopsUSA Exclusive Commentary
By Don Feder
07-25-06

To counteract reigning confusion about the latest Middle East mayhem, here’s a spectator’s guide to World War III — the Lebanese Front.

The Sons of Allah started it. (The Sons of Allah always start it.)

The current round of bloodletting began on June 25, when Hamas tunneled into Israel from its Gaza lair, kidnapped an Israeli soldier and killed two others. Then their Shiite brethren in Lebanon staged a raid into Israeli territory, killed 8 soldiers and grabbed two. (For what this scum does to captives, consider the fate of the two U.S. soldiers captured by the terrorists in Iraq — tortured to death, their bodies mutilated.)

Israel responded with pinpoint air strikes, hitting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Hezbollah began launching rockets into the heart of Israel (1,400 in the first five days of the latest fighting). On the July 16, one of its rockets killed 8 people in Haifa, Israel’s third largest city.

A disproportionate response is the best kind.

The Europeans are whining (after all, it’s what they do best) that Israel’s response to the kidnapping/murder of its citizens, and rocket attacks on its cities, is “disproportionate.” Israel’s retaliation is “totally disproportionate,” croaked French President Jacques Cirac (pity the chronic collaborationists — who are hooked on surrender — weren’t able to formulate a disproportionate response to the German jihad of 1940)

What would a proportionate Israeli response be? Snatching two Hezbollah fighters, torturing them to death, cutting off their genitals and stuffing them in their mouths? Sending a suicide bomber into a Gaza shopping mall to turn Palestinian women and children into body parts? Blowing up a Syrian skyscraper (do they even have them?) and burying 3,000 office workers under several tons of rubble?

Proportionate responses let the terrorists establish the rules of engagement — set the parameters of the conflict. (We kill three of them; they kill three of us.) Given the population disparity in the Middle East (100 Muslims for every Jew), Hamas and Hezbollah — Iran and Syria — are happy to engage in this type of attrition.

In “The Untouchables,” Sean Connery as the old Irish cop advising Eliot Ness on how to deal with the Capone mob, urged a disproportionate response: “If you open the can on these worms you must be prepared to go all the way because they’re not gonna give up the fight until one of you is dead… . You wanna know how to do it? Here’s how, they pull a knife, you pull a gun. He (Capone) sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way, and that’s how you get Capone. — Or any criminal gang masquerading as a business — or a religion.

Lebanon used to be a nice little country, before the Sons of Allah got their blood-smeared hands on it.

Believe it or not, Beirut was once called the Paris of the Middle East (all the elegance, none of the French). Lebanon was the most advanced and prosperous country in the Arab world — because a majority of Lebanese were Christians.

Then came the influx of Palestinian refugees (charming folks, really) in 1948 and 1967. When the PLO was kicked out of Jordan by King Hussein, they set up shop in Lebanon. A civil war ensued, with the local Muslim population allied with their Palestinian cousins.

Continue Reading At Think Progressl

From Think Progress: Right-Wing ‘Guide to World War III’: ‘Kill ‘Em All, Let Allah Sort ‘Em Out’
#
GrasstopsUSA is no fringe group. Its executive director, Christopher Carmouche, for last year’s high-profile “tribute” to then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) (along with luminaries like Grover Norquist), and was a member of the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters, the conservative umbrella group run by Manuel Miranda, former staffer to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN).
#
Read more at Think Progress

Posted by PoliShifter at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Doesn't this seem counter-productive to Bush's support of Israel to bomb Lebanon? What type of friend is King Abdullah to Bush? After all, their families have business relationships going back 30 years. Do you think this upsets Bush? Shouldn't it? $1.5 Billion dollars can buy a lot of rockets and feed a lot of Hezbollahs. Doesn't Bush want to destroy Hezbollah?

Saudi king offers Lebanon $1.5bn

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has promised to give $500m to Lebanon to pay for reconstruction.
He also approved $1bn for the Central Bank of Lebanon to support the economy.

The Saudi monarch warned that Israel's military offensives in Lebanon and Gaza could ignite a war in the region.

continue reading

Posted by PoliShifter at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

After all, aren't we all really post-term snowflake embryos? Aren't we all precious post-embryonic snowflake human beings? Aren't we all unique and one-of-a-kind like a snowflake?

So here is my survival kit for Iraqis and Lebanese. They should don this mask and T-shirt and refer to themselves as post-term snowflak babies.

In the mean time it looks like more post-term Lebanese snow flake babies were killed today...

Posted by PoliShifter at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I have heard it said in the past that The President doesn’t have much power in American Politics; that he is just a “figure head”. I think now we can all agree that The President does have tremendous power especially under Bush who has increased the powers of The Executive to unprecedented levels.

But there is a far more important role The President plays in American Society than the mere Power of Authority. The President sets the tone for our country, our society, and our foreign policy. The President is like the conductor of an orchestra. An adept conductor can orchestrate a musical piece in such a way that is flows smoothly, on beat, and on time. He knows just when to cue in the string section or the woodwinds. And while the conductor may be great in his own right, it is the greatness of his musicians that really makes the music wonderful

An orchestra conducted by an inept conductor will suffer no matter how good the musicians are. If the star Cellist is directed to come in too early or too late it will not only ruin the whole orchestral piece but the Cellist’s reputation as well. Then, depending on the character of the Conductor he could either take responsibility for his mistake or blame the Cellist.

In our case, George W Bush is our President and like a poor Conductor, he is setting the tone for our country, our society, and our foreign policy. Mr. Bush is inept, unable to deal effectively with every day issues that a President needs to handle effortlessly.

Mr. Bush cannot think with his own brain. He is fine when prepped, given notes, and ginned up to answer certain questions, but when asked something he is not prepared for he immediately becomes defensive, hostile, and down right rude.

Bush has come to personify America and not in a good way. Bush is rash, rude, incompetent, and violent. Bush’s instinct is war not peace, strong arming not diplomacy, and making idiotic decisions.

The Presidency is more important to America than just being a Decider or Authoritarian. The President, if competent, can inspire our society, win over the hearts and minds of other nations, and direct our future course.

The American People can do anything but they still need the proper direction. They need to be challenged in a constructive way. President Kennedy told the American People that we would go to the moon. President Kennedy himself did not know how to do it but he could inspire others who were smart enough to figure it out. America was up to the challenge and answered.

Good Presidents set out a vision and plan for our nation that Americans want to follow by choice not because the President is an authority figure, but because the plan makes sense. Bush's plans make no sense.

Mr. Bush lacks any vision for America except the vision for war. He is very rude, brash, cockey, and unstable. He cannot be trusted to make the right decisions let alone speak to the public unscripted. Bush is incapable of handling any situation diplomatically and has made America a laughing stock of the world. The world does not take America seriously anymore especially as it watches our military bog down in Iraq. We have become a paper tiger despite all of Bush's tough talk.

Bush has set the tone for America as well as the direction by nature of the office he holds. The problem is that the tone and direction Bush has set for America is so detrimental that it will take 20 years to undo the failed Bush policies. Some of Bush’s poor decisions will reverberate throughout the entire century such as the decision to invade Iraq. Like an incompetent conductor, Bush has taken the greatest Orchestra in the world, America, and turned us in to a third rate band that can't even book a gig at a retirement home.

Posted by PoliShifter at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Here in California it was so totally hot...It's been hot for over a month. It's so hot that even Paris Hilton is saying "it's like totally hot outside...."

Posted by PoliShifter at 08:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

LONDON (AP) — Security agents in Jordan are torturing terrorism suspects on behalf of the United States in hopes of forcing confessions, the human rights watchdog Amnesty International contended in a new report Monday.

The report said its investigators had identified about 10 suspected cases of men subjected to rendition from U.S. custody to interrogation centers in Jordan, a close U.S. ally in the Middle East.

"Jordan appears to be a central hub in a global complex of secret detention centers operated by the U.S. in coordination with foreign intelligence agencies," said Malcolm Smart, director of Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa unit and an author of the report.

The United States has consistently said it does not permit suspects to be shipped to countries that practice torture.

The report said more than 100 defendants in terrorism-related trials in Jordan have complained over the past decade of being subjected to torture by Jordan's General Intelligence Department.

Continue Reading

Posted by PoliShifter at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There is much blatant hypocrisy in Bush’s recent veto of the stem cell research bill. The obvious being using tax payer dollars to build better bombs which are then used to destroy people versus destroying an embryo for research that may lead to cures for diseases such as Parkinson’s. The former Bush approves and the later is against Bush’s Life Principle.

But there is a deeper, unspoken hypocrisy that lies within the Bush Doctrine on Life. Bush says he is opposed to using in vitro fertilized embryos consisting of about 150 cells for research. He would rather have these embryos adopted or placed in permanent storage. The Religious Right is embracing this issue and calling the embryos “snowflakes” due to their uniqueness. Just like every other human being on the planet, these embryos are one of a kind.

The drive is to get all these embryos adopted and presumably placed in an accepting womb. Many on the right scream that the use of these embryos for anything but impregnating a woman is tantamount to murder. They say that experimenting with embryos is not natural; that harming these embryos is m u r d e r.

Here in lies the hypocrisy. These embryos were created by taking an egg from a woman and sperm from a man then fertilizing the egg in vitro to create an embryo. Couples who cannot conceive naturally turn to in vitro fertilization. Anonymous donors give their eggs and sperm to fertility clinics so that those couples who are not fertile can have the opportunity to have kids.

During the implantation process up to 12 embryos are set in to the woman. Many do not take and die. This process is artificial. It is not natural for a human to stuff 12 embryos in to a woman’s womb. Often the process has to be repeated multiple times before a successful implantation is achieved.

How many embryos are m u r d e r e d during this process?

How is it that a Christian couple who cannot conceive can go to a fertility clinic and get an embryo implanted? They shuck through the embryos like oysters until one finally implants and starts to develop. And thanks to advanced fertility drugs triplets and quintuplets are becoming common place.

Also, no one talks about the embryos that have birth defects or die during development or during birth. Why isn’t this considered murder? It’s not a natural process. And for all the Science hating the right does, this process would not be around if it were not for Science.

If Bush and the Radical Religious Right really wanted to solve this issue they would have put forth a ban on in vitro fertilization. Do this and there will be no embryos for anyone to experiment with and couples won’t be committing murder while trying to get pregnant. Why didn’t Bush attach a signing statement to the Bill making in vitro fertilization illegal? If he cares so much about saving these embryos he would turn his attention immediately to banning in vitro fertilization.

Bush won’t do this because Bush really doesn’t give a shit about the embryos. For him it’s all about politics. Vetoing the stem cell research Bill earned him some badly needed political capital with the fanatical religious wing of the Republican Party.

If you want to stop the murder of embryos then stop in vitro fertilization. This only creates embryos that will be murdered either when attempting to implant a woman with them or when they are discarded because they are so old that they are no longer viable.

It’s hypocritical for the right to support in vitro fertilization and the implantation process that kills tens of embryos just to get a one woman pregnant AND NOT be for using the embryos for research. The embryos ARE being used for research when they are used to get a woman pregnant. That is how better and more effective methods are developed as well as more effective fertility drugs; through research on embryos! Science!

For those of you who supported Bush’s veto: Jesus does not approve of hypocrisy

For the record I am IN FAVOR of stem cell research on embryos that are going to be discarded and never implanted in to a woman. I am also IN FAVOR of using donated eggs and sperm to create embryos in vitro for stem cell research. I am AGAINST using aborted fetuses for stem cell research. No one that I know of is advocating this.

Posted by PoliShifter at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

May 31st 2005

source

I am not sure I understand this life principle Bush is talking about. Can someone explain it to me?

Posted by PoliShifter at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Presumably we want to increase our military footprint in the Middle East in order to secure our future oil needs. The Middle East is seen as the last large reserve of oil. We also don’t want China, Russia, or the EU getting total control over that oil. So our plan has been to make a big super oil highway connecting Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. The problem is that this plan is not only deeply flawed, but terribly misplaced if the long term goal is only to secure oil reserves.

Common Sense dictates that we should be using all of our resources to develop alternatives to oil. But Bush don’t use common sense. He uses idiot sense which dictates we should use all the oil up in the world before we have to forcibly give up oil as an energy source. Here’s where Antarctica comes in.

Which is why Bush needs to start building an Antarctic Invasion Force right now. Currently all our military hardware is being converted over to desert warfare. Well, twenty years from now when all the oil has been sucked out of the Middle East the world will turn its sites on Antarctica. We’ll be forced to compete and fight with other nations over the right to drill the shit out of Antarctica. And all our military hardware will be all tooled for desert warfare, not Antarctic conditions.

Think about it. Building a new Antarctic Invasion Force would help juice our military industrial complex. Since warfare is the largest component of our economy, it should help create jobs. Second, there are no people in Antarctica except for a few researchers so there’ll be very little collateral damage. Third, while some nations will complain that we are violating some treaty (we know Bush thinks treaties are just pieces of paper to be used as toilet paper), no one will oppose us. Sure they may scream at us at the U.N. but we’ll just have Bolton bounce them on their head a few times. Fourth, common…Since when does Bush listen to environmentalists? He’s not going to let a few penguins, whales, and seals stop him.

Yes, Antarctica is the future. Bush could declare himself Emperor of the South Pole. We can suck all the oil out of there before anyone else and tell the Middle East to piss off. And with Global Warming in full effect, Antarctica is likely to become a tropical paradise in about 100 years. This means that once we suck all the oil out of it, we can turn it into a resort destination. Long after Hawaii gets too hot to visit, Antarctica will be just perfect. Hell, even conservatives are walking around right now saying “why, it’s unusually hot outside today”. Well, think about Antarctica; ahhh…just right….

Posted by PoliShifter at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

There's this crazy old bitch named Pamela who has a blog at http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com. I really doubt that she has even read Atlas Shrugged but ya never know...

Watch her video at your own risk...

I really doubt this character believes what she is saying. She strikes me as a self-aborbed person as many wingnuts are (examples: Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and mAnn Coultergeist to name a few). She also apparenly thinks she is really hot. The problem is that she is so ugly on the inside that it makes what's left of her exterior appear absolutely hideous.

Even sadder are the people who do beleive what she says and hang on her every word. Even worse are the men out there that find this hag attractive.

Obviously this wannabe beeotch faux celeb is vying for some sort of radio show or guest spot with Hannity. Perhaps she should try accompanying Rush on one of his trips to the Dominican Republic. E.D. or no E.D., he'll have the copious quantities of Viagra required just to get an erection with her.

"You save one life you save the world entire...that's, that's how it is..." - Crazy Pamela Atlas Wingnut Bitch

Obviously that statement is very selective. Wingnut logic advocates killing tens of thousands of innocent people but then wraps itself up with little statements like these. Just as Bush calls using an embryo for research that is about to be discarded MURDER and the killing of thousands of innocent Iraqis foreign policy, so does this Pamela Character think Israel should kill thousands of innocent men, women, and children in order to save 2 soldiers.

Obviously the issue is much more complicated than that.

One thing is certain: It's blatantly hypocritical to be a pro-life advocate while supporting mass killing. It sounds impossible but somehow these wingnuts pull it off.

Thanks to Sadly No!

Posted by PoliShifter at 05:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

I am really at a loss for words today. I have never read nor heard so many fat, pasty old white guys just drooling over the prospect of a widening war in the Middle East.

What bothers me the most about all of the Foxsperts paraded on TV is that they aren't just discussing the war between Israel and Hezbollah. They start off discussing the war between Israel and Lebanon then during their conversations they take a big left turn at World War 3 and how the United States needs to bomb Syria as well as Iran. What starts off as a debate about the Israeli-Lebonese conflict ends as a great opportunity for the U.S. to bomb the shit out of Iran.

These War Pigs such as Bill O'Reilly, Decider Bush, Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, and Cheney are not military men. They have not served in combat and don't know the first thing about war and strategery. Yet these pigs want to sit on the TV day in and day out telling the American People that we need to bomb Iran; that we need to bomb Syria.

This PNAC NeoCon formula of taking advantage of a current crisis just to foment another not only doesn't work, it's completely absurd. The problem with wingnut pundits is they want war for all the wrong reasons. They want war for ratings, political capital, and broadening control over the minds of Americans.

The wingnuts know they are in trouble this November. They know if they are swept out of office that their dreams of turing America into a militarized totalitarian state will likely crumble. The wingnuts need a broadening war in order to maintain their power. Pundits such as Hannity need a bigger, better war so they can improve their ratings. A full scale war involving the U.S. would also make their brand of authoritative fear mongering more appealing to their base.

This to me is what is sickest of all about the current state of the United States. We have this group of wingnut pundits who use war to their advantaage. War to them is just a tool to improve ratings and garner political power. They have no care or concern for the innocent blood that is shed. They have no cares or concerns for the soldiers and the families of soldiers who will die in the wars these assholes are trying to foment. For them, war is just a convenient opportunity to further their influence over American Society. Never mind the death, monitary cost, and long term political effets. Those aren't important to war pigs.

Generals gathered in their masses,
just like witches at black masses.
Evil minds that plot destruction,
sorcerers of death's construction.
In the fields the bodies burning,
as the war machine keeps turning.
Death and hatred to mankind,
poisoning their brainwashed minds.
Oh lord, yeah!

- War Pigs by Black Sabbath


Thanks to Danny Guam

Posted by PoliShifter at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

All We Are Saying Is Give Peace A Chance

Posted by PoliShifter at 07:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pictured above is a Blastocyst, A preimplantation embryo of about 150 cells produced by cell division following fertilization. (Stem Cell Information from the NIH)

These are the frozen embryos, tens of thousands of them that are about to be thrown away, that Scientists want to use for research purposes. According to Mr. Bush, using these 150 cell blastocysts for research is committing M-U-R-D-E-R. Throwing them away I guess is considered taking out the garbage.

Pictured above is an Iraqi Girl killed in the Iraq War. According to Mr. Bush this is not murder. This is just necessary foreign policy in order to protect you from Al Qaeda and win the war on terror. This is "just a casuality" of the war on terror. It's not murder.

To sum up, using that ball cells pictured at the top of the post (known as a blastocyst) for research is Murder.

Killing Iraqi Children is just foreign policy.

Any Questons?

Posted by PoliShifter at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Using a frozen embryo for research that is going to get thrown away is murder.

But killing 130,000 Iraqis, 2500 U.S. troops, and executing 150 prisioners is uh, is uh, well that's just politics, it ain't murder...It's good foreign policy.

All life is sacred which is why Bush vetoes the stem cell research bill...

But 255 Lebonese killed is a real good reason to bomb Iran.

Anyone who uses a frozen embryo for research is a m-u-r-d-e-r-e-r...

But Reporters who publish information that is harmful to the Bush Regime should be executed, not murdered...

Trying to understand the Bush Paradox is nearly impossible. On the one hand life is sacred, killing is murder, and against the will of God. But on the other hand bombing innocent civilians is protecting us from terror.

I guess it just depends on what your definition of life is...is...

Update:

Tony Snow says that Stem Cell Research won't be made illegal...Private companies can still do it. But the Federal Gummint won't fund Stem Cell Research cause it's m-u-r-d-e-r...But Private companies can do it!

Phew! I was starting to worry about all the private military contractors, Halliburton and weapons manufacturers, that they wouldn't be able to commit "murder" any more. But Tony Snow cleared that right up! Private companies can still commit murder! Yippeee!

Hmm...that must be why our military is continually being privatized. You see, Bush thinks the Government should not fund murder, but private companies can. This means we really can't have a Federal Government funding a State Sponsored Military. We need the Private Military Corporations to do the murdering for us cause Bush don't believe in murder. And using Federal Funds to commit murder is m-u-r-d-e-r but using private funds to kill is GOOD Business.

Posted by PoliShifter at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

4 years, 10 months, and 19 days Al Qaeda attatched us on Septhember THE 11th, 2001. Shortly thereafter came the NeoCon drumbeat from people like Bill Kristol, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and Paul Wolfowitz trying to assert that Iraq had something to do with the attacks on 9/11.

Once they had the public fooled in to beleiving that Saddam had attacked us on 9/11 they then moved right in to convincing us that Iraq had nuclear weapons. Bush didn't want the "smoking gun" to be a mushroom cloud. We were told Saddam had UAV's capable of reaching the United States that could unleash biological warfare upon us. The American People, hearing this from their trusted government officials, were terrified.

Shortly thereafter they began beating the drums of war calling for an invasion of Iraq. In order to settle the nerves of The People, Cheney told us we would be greated as liberators (rose petals and chocolates anyone?). Rumsfeld said he doubted the conflict would last more than 6 months. Wolfowitz said that the Iraq Oil would more than pay for the reconstruction. Hearing all this, the American People tepidly supported the war. I wouldn't call it full blown support, but they trusted their leaders and felt that their government would not lie to them, so they weren't initially AGAINST the war as the first bomb dropped.

We now know all of things the NeoCons said were total bullshit. The occupation of Iraq is likely to last until at least 2016 according to conservative military estimates. Iraq Oil is NOT paying for the reconstruction of Iraq, we are. And more importantly no nuclear weapons were found.

To sum up, we were attacked by Al Qaeda on 9/11 and we invaded Iraq.

Fast forward to the present. There is a war brewing between Israel and Lebanon. So what do the NeoCons want to do? Bomb Iran and Syria. We are once again plagued by fuzzy NeoCon math.

So far about 25 Israelis have been killed while 295 Lebanese have been killed. And yet the NeoCons would have you believe it's all Iran and Syria's fault. Bush recently said that if Syria would just knock this shit off it would stop.

Rather than calling for calm and peace between Israel and Lebanon, the NeoCons are calling for the bombing and invasion of Iran. It's being pitched to the American People that somehow invading Iran would solve the war between Israel and Lebanon. We are being told that invading Iran would ensure they don't develop nuclear weapons. One again we are faced with fuzzy NeoCon math.

Cheerleaders like Rush Limbaugh are calling the Israel-Lebonese war a gift. The wingnuts say "we can finally get Iran". Once again, we are faced with fuzzy NeoCon math.

Just as when Al Qaeda attacked us on 9/11 so therefore we invaded Iraq, now we have a conflict between Israel and Lebanon so according to NeoCon logic we must bomb and invade Iran.

There are more than several flaws in the NeoCon logic. First and foremost, the notion that bombing Iran would somehow solve the Israeli-Lebanon conflict is bogus. All it would do is widden the war to include more Islamic States. Second, the focus right now should not be on how we can figure out a way to invade and bomb Iran or Syia. The Focus RIGHT NOW should be how we can stop the killing going on between Israel and Lebanon.

The third flaw in the NeoCon argument is this notion that we have to have a sense of urgency in regards to Iran because they are close to achieving a nuclear weapon. While this plays well with pussy wingnuts who live their lives in a constant state of fear, it is once again a bogus argument. Pakistan has nuclear weapons and is governed by a military dictatorship propped up by the United States. Should that country collapse, which could come at any momment, their nuclear weapons will fall in to the hands of Islamic Extremists.

North Korea not only has nuclear weapons, but they have increased their arsenal since Bush has been President AND they have a mad man running their country. Yet, we are doing nothing to contain North Korea. We are not sailing warships over there. The NeoCons are not on parade on Fox News beating the war drum for attacking North Korea or Pakistan for that matter.

NeoCons are simply put, misguided. We cannot know their real reasons for wanting to foment war and instability in the Middle East. The initial speculation was that is was about controlling the oil. But the invasion of Iraq has proven that having an American Footprint in the Middle East is doiing nothing for oil prices down or securing supply. They do not seem an overly religious bunch so I don't think ther goal is to stamp out Islam. Although if this were their goal they would not exactly broadcast it but I doubt they could also keep it a secret for over 10 years.

It's really a shame that the NeoCons are so misguided. We could use their zeal and zest for war to help us cheerlead the capture of Bin Laden. It would be nice to see Bill Kristol on the TV everyday shaking down North Korea and threatening to bomb them rather than Ian. It would be nice to see the NeoCons putting their brains together figuring out how to stop Al Qaeda rather than wasting their energy fomenting yet another quagmire of a war that won't solve any problems but will surely make more.

Posted by PoliShifter at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

"This current conflict represents an opportunity to finally do something about Iran before they get their nukes, because I don't know if anybody has a plan for dealing with them after that. That's why I say this situation is a gift to the world." - Rush Limbaugh

The Power of Narrative:

For Limbaugh and all the others like him, this is the perfect "opportunity" to have the confrontation they have wanted all along: the final battle with Iran.

Croosk and Liars:

"Limbaugh goes over the top once again and is calling this conflict a gift to the neocons and to the world. Just try to imagine the kind of evil involved in this type of thinking."

Pacific Gazaette: The Gift

"That's why I think this is a gift to the world, folks. This is an opportunity finally to do something about Iran. Iran is the elephant in the room in all of this, and if we sit here and say it's Hezbollah or it's Assad or it's Syria or it's Hamas, we are blaming the tentacles and not the brain, and Iran is the center and the focus of this, and that's why this is a gift." - Rush Limbaugh

The Fall of Humanity

The Mills Rive Progressive:

"The Neocons can scarecely contain their delight at the (additional) warfare that has broken out in the Middle East. Newt "psycho-muppet" Gingrich declared that "this is World War III, and the President should just declare it", and Rush "tiny limp-bits" Limbaugh says that "this is a gift from God, because now we can finally do something about Iran..." Hooray, Armageddon! "

Posted by PoliShifter at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

In what is shaping up to be yet another shameful election year ploy, Neons, Republicans, and their wingnut cheerleaders are antagonizing any possible plan for peace in the middle east and already declaring that we are in the midst of world war 3, 4, and 5.

Setting the tone for the wingnuts was The Walrus John Bolton who vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an end to the conflict.

Mean, while when asked directly by Helen Thomas why the U.S. veteod the U.N. Resolution aimed at ending the conflict Tony Snow flat lied saying the U.S. did no such thing.

What people need to understand is that the NeoCon led Republicans want war. And they want war for all the wrong reasons. They want war to help their election chances and increase their chances at fatting the pockets of their war monger cronies. And they want to use the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict as a wedge issue to divide and conquer Democrats.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict deeply divides Democrats. On the one hand many Liberals have a gut loyalty to Israel no matter how many atrocities Israel committs against the Palestinian People. On the other hand there are liberals who are against Israel no matter how many atrocities the Palestinians committ against Israelis.

Those that criticize Israel are immediately being painted as anti-semites by wingnuts. Those that support Israel are being demonized as war mongers by their left-leaning counterparts.

It's divide and conquer time for the NeoCons. Republicans know they are perilously close to being swept out of office this November which is why they have latched on like a rabid dog to this current conflict. They know they can split Democrats on this issue. They think if they can peel off enough pro-Israel votes from Democrats then they may at least maintain power in November.

The sickest thing of all about how low Republicans will stoop to maintain power is watching them cheerlead the killing of innocent women and children on both sides of this conflict.

The priority right now should be finding a way to work together with the rest of the world so that we can help restore peace to the Middle East, not foment more war and sensless killing.

This is such a multi-faceted bag of prizes for the NeoCon wingnuts that it will take a major screw up on their part to come out on the downside of this one.

First, if you listen closely to the Bush Administration NeoCon hacks they are already stearing the debate toward Syria and Iran. That's because they want to bomb both countries and they see an opportunity with the current events to garner public support for bombing both Syria and Iran.

Second, the sycophantic wingnut cheerleaders absolutely hate Muslims. They call them "koranimals" and would just assume nuke them all. The type of rhetoric coming out of the NeoCon camps plays right in to their hatred and provides justification for their unfound hatred of Muslims.

Third, a large consituent of the Radical NeoCon Party is their Christian Extremist base. These people are in ecstasy over the idea that this could be the start of the apocalypse. They are loosening their tennis shoes and making sure they are certified Rapture Ready.

The only antecdote I see to the radical right's vitriol is for Democrats to preach a message of peace, tolerance, and love. These are the three key things that are needed to achieve peace in the Middle East. You would expect such a Christ-Like message to come from the right since they continually cloak themselves with the Bible and Religion but it won't.

It's up to Democrats to provide a United Front for peace. We owe it to each other and the world. If we do not, then many thousands will die for no reason except to get Republicans elected and fatten the pockets of war profiteers.

Posted by PoliShifter at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)