The Grampy Patrol

The Grampy Patrol

I had great fun reading about Juice's Walt Mart adventure at Tales from the Liberry.

Thanks to Juice, I was blissfully led to the Horribly True Tales of the Drunken Trucker .

"They warn me that I can't distribute this
resume in Tempe".

Have you seen the Most Mentally Ill Job Resume?
A prehistoric blog. *wink*

Kerry and the Iraq Votes

Kerry and the Iraq Votes
Can Kerry Just Be Himself?
By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor Berkeley Daily Planet

This isn't going to be easy.
In a post-9/11 world, Mr. Allen-Taylor states that progressives (ie: Robert Scheer) should not look to the election of 2004 as a reprisal of 1968.

The U.S. military presence in Iraq that is exacerbating the problems we face in the Middle East. Most Americans now believe that we never should have invaded. They also believe that a precipitous U.S. withdrawal would make things worse. These are legitimate yet opposing views.

John Kerry became the Democratic Party nominee precisely because he fudged his positions on Iraqi withdrawal, straddling the great American divide (yes, we shouldn't have gone in, but how we should leave is a matter yet to be determined). Turning from that course in either direction would now tip the balance and lose Kerry one wing of the Democratic Party or the other, dumping all of us into the abyss.

The only way the nation will have a chance – within the next four years – of pulling itself out of this Middle East mess, is to let Kerry BE Kerry. If Bush wins, we go in deeper, without a doubt. If Mr. Kerry wins, we may not.

Mr. Allen-Taylor makes the observation that it's not the best of choices. But it's the best choice we're going to get.

If you love your country, why on earth wouldn't you hate a person who you firmly believed was destroying it?

Allen-Taylor's article sounds like what we've come to know as "Anyone But Bush".

Is that a negative thing? I don't think so.
Is it a "Bush-hate" thing? Sure, I think it is.
We all know what hating Bush means.
Why deny it?
Many people believe he's the worst president this country has ever had.
If you love your country, why on earth wouldn't you hate a person who you firmly believed was destroying it?

What do you think?

Iraqi soccer players angered by Bush campaign ads

Iraqi soccer players angered by Bush campaign ads
Sports Illustrated

Recently, Daniel Pearl's family asked Cheney and the entire Bush administration to immediately stop using Daniel's name for their political campaign.

Now, members of Iraq's olympic soccer team are angrily saying that they have been made unwilling participants in a new political campaign ad for Bush.

What Went Wrong in Iraq

What Went Wrong in Iraq
ForeignAffairs.org

Larry Diamond is Co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. From January to April 2004, he served as a Senior Adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.

In summary, Mr. Diamond has written an article about the consequences of early U.S. blunders in the occupation of Iraq. The Bush administration was never willing to commit the resources necessary to secure the country and did not make the most of the resources it had. U.S. officials did get a number of things right, but they never understood-or even listened to-the country they were seeking to rebuild. As a result, the democratic future of Iraq now hangs in the balance.

Web Logs: The New Class Bulletin Boards

In the Classroom, Web Logs are the New Bulletin Boards
From the N.Y. Times

Anti-Kerry Swift Boat Vet Denies Vietnam War Ever Took Place

Anti-Kerry Swift Boat Vet Denies Vietnam War Ever Took Place

It must be true! I read it at Tom Burka's blog!

An Attack on Democracy

An Attack on Democracy
By Dr. Robert Abele, professor of philosophy; author of "A User's Guide to the USA PATRIOT Act", published by University Press of America, due out in November

These are very serious charges and very serious issues, including unconstitutional acts by the Bush administration and at least four particularly horrific ways in which they have circumvented democracy (well-detailed).

Slice of life from the Kerry campaign trail

Slice of life from the Kerry campaign trail
August 20, 2004
Charlotte, N.C.

--Of the 15 odd folks that appeared there, one was a woman carrying a Kerry sign, and several firemen carrying Bush signs.

"Hey you were the guys who put the fire out at my house!", the woman said, as she recognized the firemen.

"When it comes to work, politics doesn't matter", one of the firemen said, exemplifying what is best about government work.--

[LINK-Anonymoses]

General Who Supported Bush in New Kerry Ad

General Who Supported Bush in New Kerry Ad

Feith: Military advice from a dubious character

Feith: Military advice from a dubious character


They have faith. The Bush administration destroys that faith more and more every day.


General Tommy Franks on Douglas Feith:


"I have to deal with the f*cking stupidest guy on the face of the earth almost every day."
From Bob Woodward's book "Plan of Attack"
________

Douglas Feith? You're not sure who he is, you say? I think you should get yourself acquainted with him before you even consider his take on the state of the military.
Start by reading this.

The hack that equipped the Bush administration with the PR-fodder they desired to make the unnecessary Iraq invasion politically palatable is now trying to sell you on the idea that removing a significant presence in South Korea is smart.

Douglas Feith has it ass-backwards when he says:

In this political season, it was inevitable that some critics would charge us with "unilateralism." But the charge gets the matter backward. The posture changes will make U.S. alliances capable and usable well into the future. The failure to make such changes could doom our defense partnerships to irrelevance.

1. In any season, we went headlong into a unilateral action (whether or not Tony Blair killed his political career by following).

2. Political season? In any season, politics is the only priority that has driven the Bush agenda.

3. The Bush administration has already crushed our international alliances with his macho-bully (who gives a sh*t about you?) policies. What does it matter that our allies are "capable" if they don't respect us enough to deal with us in the first place?

4. Bush has already doomed a good part of our defense partnerships, and Douglas Feith himself was part of the machinery that destroyed America's stature and credibility.

Why the hell would anyone believe Douglas Feith now?

He should have been ousted from his dubious position long ago.

Mahdi Army Departs Shrine

Mahdi Army Departs Shrine

It appears that the Mahdi army has departed the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf. I'm relieved there was no bloodbath there in that holy place. The Mahdi militia has not laid down its arms to date. Juan Cole states that what the US military has done to Najaf in the past two weeks while fighting the militiamen has already deeply hurt the reputation of America in southern Iraq and indeed in much of the Muslim world.

Kerry stands proudly by his wartime record

Kerry stands proudly by his wartime record



I'm so glad that Senator Kerry has stood up for his wartime service record proudly and boldly.

Open Secrets website here.

What these swift boat defamers are doing is putting a blue-dress-style stain on the proud and glorious sheen of of serving our country during wartime.

Be all that you can be----only to have your bravery and effort diminished and smeared by irresponsible lies while you watch the Armed Forces' commander in chief smirk.

Go get 'em, John.