America = Torture

Bush,

Tell me again how America does not torture?

The BBC is running a story today about the Guantanamo Bay prisoners who are accused of being terrorists, yet have been held, in some cases, for 4 years WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF A FAIR TRIAL. These suffering prisoners are conducting a hunger strike, and the participants are growing in number. America is now force-feeding them through the nostrils:

The number of detainees taking part in a hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp has more than doubled in the past week, US authorities say.

Some 84 prisoners are now refusing food, with 46 of them reported to have joined the protest on 25 December.

The US military defines a hunger strike as missing nine consecutive meals.

Human rights groups have challenged the US in the past over the number of detainees it says are refusing food and whether they have been force fed.

About 500 prisoners remain at Guantanamo, many of them captured in Afghanistan. Some have been held for nearly four years without charge.

America does not have a moral or legal leg to stand on. If these accused are truly terrorists then the United States should be FORCED to make their case against each and every one of these accused in a fair American court of law. End of story.

The Biggest Political Lies of 2005

Well, yeah, I know -- you're thinking, "So? What else is new??"

But I saw this article by Eleanor Clift in Newsweek and couldn't resist publishing it since Newsweek is one of those gutless wonders of the right wing corporate media, for the most part.

Today Clift is on target.

I must admit that I am mostly numb regarding the mega-travesties, injustices and crimes Bush has inflicted against our American democracy and the World Entire. But even I wonder what act will finally break the proverbial camel's back? When will Americans say enough is enough? Alas, I suspect there is still more suffering to be done before we see it.

Truth's finally coming out: Bush's eavesdropping on us all!

Well, Bush and the Pentagon are spying on peace activists and other ordinary Americans without the oversight of Congress or the courts. What's more, he says he is King and intends to keep doing it! Now!

On Wednesday, the news came out about the spying on peace activists because, according to the Bush administration, the government is concerned about the peace activists attacking the soldiers and military recruitment offices. Crap! I, myself, am a fervent peace activist and most of us are law-abiding and, yes, we'll picket the recruitment offices and demonstrate outside the military bases, but we aren't known for physically attacking anyone! Yet another page from the Nixon playbook.

On Friday, the so-called "liberal" New York Times finally ran an article on how Bush has been spying on law-abiding citizens since 2001. Apparently they withheld the story for one year in order to appease the lying Bush administration since the Bushies claimed the publishing of the story 1 year ago (election year) would've hampered terrorist-hunting efforts.

Now, one has to wonder after all being lied to by the Bushes so many times (WMDs and tons of other Bush lies to the nation), why would the New York Times believe them and withhold this huge story from the American public? The New York Times is supposed to be the paper of record and, first and foremost, they are to advocate for the public's right to know. Whatever happened to this? All of these national papers (Washington Post and CIA Leak enabler Bob Woodward) publicly show themselves to be shills for the Bush Administration.

I can only say ONE good thing about the NYT holding the story until Friday: The story provided the tipping point that the Democratic and Republican senators needed yesterday to filibuster the renewal of the Patriot Act. So, atleast, the NYT dropped the story at a well-placed and politic time. Finally.

Howard Dean's telling the truth AGAIN!

On Monday, DNC chairman Howard Dean appeared on a radio show and said that the Iraq war is another Vietnam and its unwinnable. I heard the tape on the Ed Schultz show and said to myself, "Yeah? So what else is new? He's telling the truth."

Of course, Fox News and the "liberal" mainstream news outlets have been focusing on his statement as if he said something that was beyond the pale and simply outrageous. Nothing could be further from the truth.

A few red state Dems attack Dean for his familiar statement. And the mainstream media likes nothing better than to run 'dems in disarray stories'.

Could Dean have been a bit more artful in the way he expressed himself? Yes.

But, here's the thing:

Bush himself said that the war was unwinnable last year! Republican Senator Chuck Hagel took it one step further and said Iraq was another Vietnam and he, too, doubted that it could be won back in August.
An increasing number of military and foreign policy analysts are saying the same thing! The latest polls of the American people believe the war is unwinnable, its Vietnam and time to bring the troops home - they only disagree on the timetable for the exit.

There was nothing irresponsible about what Dean said. He spoke the truth. Iraq cannot be won militarily. Jack Murtha is widely believed to be speaking FOR the military since he has the Pentagon's ear.

Many of the troops know this war is unwinnable, too. The military is broken and it is time to bring them home. This can only be solved diplomatically/politically.

We are used to hearing so much lying, parsing and dancing around the truth from our politicians that we don't even know the truth when it bites us in the rear. Yes, Bush pundits will try to spin the subject and act like the Dems want to bring troops home immediately which is not true, but the majority of Americans back Jack Murtha to the hilt. I LOVE to hear Murtha speak about the war. He is a gift from heaven because the American people are way ahead of the politicians on this one, like Murtha and Dean say.

Latest Right Wing Straw Man Argument: The Alleged War Against Christmas

Amazing. Now Bush has been serving his right wing Christian base all year and what thanks does he get for it? More bitching and moaning!

Fox News and many of the intimidated allegedly "liberal" mainstream media outlets like The Atlanta Journal Constitution and New York Times have done stories recently on how there's supposed to be a liberal conspiracy to get rid of Christmas. The right wingers are badgering the stores into dropping 'Happy Holidays' and substitute it with 'Merry Christmas'.

First of all, I would've thought that the Christian right wing would be appalled at the crass commercialization of the sacred religious Christmas holiday. Apparently not. Last week, Bill O'Reilly could be heard railing against liberal scapegoats like the ACLU and George Soros for allegedly undermining Christmas at every given opportunity. Ridiculous!

But it gets better. Imagine the surprise when President Bush sends out his annual White House Christmas cards and it says "Happy Holidays"!

Honestly, you couldn't write better stuff than this!

So, either the Christian right wing's patron saint George W. Bush is part of the liberal conspiracy to get rid of Christmas OR this whole thing is a bunch of crap to take everyone's attention off of a failing presidency.

I opt for the latter.

More of the Same: Bushco thinks we're STUPID!

Well, so another Bush speech, more Bush lies. What's new? Wednesday was the day trumpeted by the White House as the day to end all days, for America was to finally receive a copy of the much desired plan for victory, or the exit strategy - depending on which White House official you ask.

It is pathetic that Bush thinks that he can use mere tepid speechifying, repetition, and embedded images of the crucifix in the elaborate set piece behind him to pick up his poll numbers and make Americans forget the political horrors of 2005 (and, let's be real - the other 4 years of his presidency). Perhaps if he would finally level with us and tell the truth and apologize and demand accountability of himself and his underlings and fire some folks, his presidency could be saved. Alas, not gonna happen. The question only remains: How far down the rabbit hole is America going??

Anyway, surprisingly it looks like the news media is going to hold Bush accountable for the lack of details, and blatant lies inherent in Wednesday's speech. The New York Times paints Bush as a space cadet while the Atlanta Journal Constitution throws in the towel on Bush and says if the Congress is not willing to step in and do its job of oversight then it is time for a new Congress.

Across the country the national and regional newspaper editorial reviews of Wednesday's speech have been harsh, and rightly so. Time Magazine is running a piece about why Bush is wrong to reject a timetable for withdrawal. A couple of weeks ago, you would never have seen such an article in the national media. There has been such a shift in the national dialogue on Iraq since Representative Murtha spoke out that it is amazing! Murtha, on this matter atleast, has been a gift from the Goddess God!

And yesterday Democratic House minority leader Nancy Pelosi backed Murtha's exit strategy. This is good news and should give added encouragement to other House Dems who are jittery about appearing "soft on national defense". This is nothing but a republican talking point. Nothing could be further from the truth. All that remains is for the Dems to stop listening to the right wing talking points, stand up, speak for themselves, take a stand and not apologize or be divided about it! Jeez!

Most Americans (liberals, conservatives, independents) are hungry for real, substantive, responsible and honest leadership and which ever party takes the stage and points the way to a higher road out of this mess will become the anointed party during the 2006 elections. These days, fortune is smiling broadly upon the Dems but they need to believe it, see it, be it and claim it.