Beware of False Prophets

Jesus pimp Ralph Reed is running out of cheeks:

"The radical left, the Big Labor Union Bosses, and Bill Clinton want to pass a law preventing Chinese from coming to work on the Marianas Islands," the mailer from Reed's firm said. The Chinese workers, it added, "are exposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ" while on the islands, and many "are converted to the Christian faith and return to China with Bibles in hand."

A year earlier, the Department of the Interior -- which oversees federal policy toward the U.S. territory -- presented a very different picture of life for Chinese workers on the islands. An Interior report found that Chinese women were subject to forced abortions and that women and children were subject to forced prostitution in the local sex-tourism industry.

[...]

This is the same guy who took gambling money to fight gambling in his Jesus pimpy sorta way. So I guess Ralphie was for gambling before he was against it and against abortion before he was for it. Oh, wait, that was forced abortion and prostitution he was for. So, I guess it's just the choice part he's against. Ya got no choice, bitch, because old white guys hold the title to your womb. It is important to remember that the DoI report cited came out before Gale Norton and "Jack in the Box" Abramoff moved in.

Mr. Reed obviously has no moral center. He defends and promotes slavery. He condones and profits from child prostitution and forced abortion. He defiles the blood spilled by the Marines who died in the fight to free Saipan, now known as the Marianas, by supporting sweatshop owners, and sex slave traffickers. I guess he thinks its okay for the Chinese slaves to be raped by America, as long as they have a good book to read while they are getting fucked. How can anyone possibly lose a political race to this asshat? He makes me sick.

The French Respond!

Recently, I wrote an email to AT&T asking them about the rumors on the internets about handing over all phone records over to the Federal Government. They kindly responded and I would like to share it with you, along with my translation of what they sent:

Dear Ms. Andrews- 

Not off to a very good start, since I most definitely have two chromosomes, as well as other male physical attributes!

ATT cares about your privacy. We understand your concern and want to
stress that we  vigorously protect our customers' privacy. 

Unless, of course, it interferes with our sharing of cocktail weenies with those capable of creating multi-tiered internets and stifling such pesky bloggers such as yourself.

It's our policy not to comment on matters involving national security
or
litigation.  However, rest assured that AT&T follows all laws with
respect to requests for assistance  from governmental authorities.  

Now, I specifically asked them not to include "national security" in their response. I'm an oilfield truck driver fer cyin' out loud. I saw "Matlock" once and I heard them say something about probable cause. And these fucks have the balls to tell me to calm the fuck down because the echo chamber of the Bushco Crime family's consigliere branch nods with approval? We continue...

There has been a lot of speculation in the news media.  The fact is,
AT&T does not allow  wiretapping or give customer information to law
enforcement authorities or government  agencies without legal
authorization.

Hmmm, speculation, yeah right. This is all we have since the Runaway Executive has avoided judicial review even more than congressional overlook. He is a fugitive from justice. Also I noticed the "without legal authorization" curiously did not contain the words subpoena or warrant. Maybe they have a permission slip from Torture Memo Abu Gonzales.

We have an obligation to assist law enforcement and other government
agencies  responsible for protecting the public welfare, whether it be
an individual or the  security interests of the entire nation.

We have an obligation to assist the Republican Party, and all their crony filled branches are protected from dissident Oklahoma truck drivers and all those who would threaten our supply of cocktail weenies, er, I mean, protect us from screaming brown meanies.

We prize the trust our customers place in us. If and when AT&T is asked
by government  agencies for help, we do so strictly within the law and
under the most stringent  conditions. Beyond that, we can't comment on
matters of national security. This is a  national security issue and
needs to be addressed on a national level.
We do appreciate hearing from you and we value your business.

Thank you for contacting us.

Sincerely,
Privacy Policy Mailbox Manager

There is only one way that I can read this letter. I mean did you notice what I noticed? There is entirely too much tippytoeing around going on in this statement. I read it as saying, yes, we handed over all calls that you made and all calls that were made to you because the feds showed up and said the magic words, "national security." I mean, they used that phrase like twelve times in this missive. This was by no means a denial. It wasn't even a non-denial denial. They did it. And now, to quote Uncle Junior Soprano, "That fed is so far up my ass I can taste brylcreme."

Dot Dot Dot, Dash Dash Dash, Dot Dot Dot

In case you forgot, that title is morse code for S.O.S. Just finished writing an email to SBC which is now AT&T asking about the story in USA Today where the NSA has asked, and received everyone's calling lists, creating the largest database ever assembled in the history of the world. Taking a cue from T-Rex and Siun, fellow FDLers, this is what I sent them:

I am very concerned with the story in USA Today that states AT&T is providing the NSA with all of my calling records. I would like assurances that you are not giving my private information to the Federal Government. If this was legal then I'm sure that QWest would have been forced to comply as well. Unless they are operating under a different set of federal laws. Some say this is a matter of National Security. Please do not include this in your response. This is a legal issue. I certainly hope you have not violated any laws as your stockholders will have to pay dearly if you have.

If you have been supplying the Federal Government with this information, please count on me to contact the numerous pension fund investors of your stock and explain the legal jeopardy you have placed their pensions in. Then I'll continue to wade through all of your financial supporters to whittle away at your cushy little insulated bubble. And so will all my friends that are on my calling and email and bloglists that you so blithely handed over to the Federal Government. Sort of a "Reach Out And Touch Someone" campaign. So, did you, or did you not decide to try and bankrupt your shareholders?

Impatiently Waiting

We gotta play hardball with these people folks. If money is what they understand, we'll just have to talk to them in that fashion. Then follow through.

How Stupid Is This?

War profiteering apparently bring on stupidity:

Halliburton Solves Global Warming
SurvivaBalls save managers from abrupt climate change

An advanced new technology will keep corporate managers safe even when climate change makes life as we know it impossible. [Speech, photos]

"The SurvivaBall is designed to protect the corporate manager no matter what Mother Nature throws his or her way," said Fred Wolf, a Halliburton representative who spoke today at the Catastrophic Loss conference held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Amelia Island, Florida. "This technology is the only rational response to abrupt climate change," he said to an attentive and appreciative audience.

[...]

At today's conference, Wolf and a colleague demonstrated three SurvivaBall mockups, and described how the units will sustainably protect managers from natural or cultural disturbances of any intensity or duration. The devices - looking like huge inflatable orbs - will include sophisticated communications systems, nutrient gathering capacities, onboard medical facilities, and a daunting defense infrastructure to ensure that the corporate mission will not go unfulfilled even when most human life is rendered impossible by catastrophes or the consequent epidemics and armed conflicts.

"It's essentially a gated community for one," said Wolf.

[...]

You just gotta see them pictures. I just wish they had one of them "bubble boys" giving a one finger salute to the rest of us.

(h/t to SandyH)

Update:

According to commentor Anonymous, the actual Halliburton URL does not contain the word "contract" in it. He surmises that the spoofers apparently cribbed several bonafide pages of Halliburtons onto this to make it appear legit. Still, careful perusing through the sidebars and such bring additional joys. So I've been punked I guess. And after minutes of exhaustive research I didn't catch that error. Oh well, at least it wasn't about WMD's. I'm doin a heckuva job.

It Must be Cold There, In Our Shadow

The latest poll has Bush at a below freezing 31 job approval rating, the lowest in his Presidency.
[...]

Bush's approval rating, at 34 percent a week ago, tumbled on declining support from conservatives and Republicans. The poll found 52 percent of conservatives and 68 percent of Republicans approved of Bush's performance, record lows in both categories.

Bush's approval rating has been mired in the low and mid-30s in most surveys amid public unease about the Iraq war and rising gasoline prices. His plummeting standing has caused growing worry among Republicans about November's elections, when the balance of power in Congress will be up for grabs.

[...]

Most pundits place his sliding poll numbers to the quagmire of the illegal war in Iraq.
However, his spending like a drunken soldier could be a key reason why his conservative base is slipping away.

[...]

With passage of the budget, the House will have raised the federal borrowing limit by an additional $653 billion, to $9.62 trillion. It would be the fifth debt-ceiling increase in recent years, after boosts of $450 billion in 2002, a record $984 billion in 2003, $800 billion in 2004 and $653 billion in March. When Bush took office, the statutory borrowing limit stood at $5.95 trillion.

[...]

A curious thing is happening over in the land of wingnuts. Criticisms leveled at Bu$hCo by the reality based community over expanding Federalism, nation building, secrecy, torture, warrantless wiretapping of Americans and exploding deficits were all shouted down as treasonous against our Commander-In Chief and accusations were leveled of giving aide and comfort to our enemies.

[...]

Rove last night also criticized Democrats for responding weakly to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001: "Conservatives saw the savagery of 9/11 in the attacks and prepared for war; liberals saw the savagery of the 9/11 attacks and wanted to prepare indictments and offer therapy and understanding for our attackers," Rove said.

[...]

Okay, so Rove is a dick. But now that Bush's approval rating is about the same as several social diseases, in order to save face of conservatism, wingnuts now claim Bush has always been a liberal.

Yesterday, I referenced an article in National Review by Jonah Goldberg in which Goldberg argued that the two most glaring examples of failed Republican presidents -- Richard Nixon and George Bush -- weren't conservatives at all, but were actually liberals. I characterized this claim as "dishonest" because, as I pointed out, virtually no conservatives were claiming that Bush was a "liberal" when his popularity ratings were in the 60s and he was perceived as some sort of heroic, beloved political figure. It is only now that his approval ratings are reaching historically low levels, and it is becoming unavoidably apparent that his presidency is dying and failed, that conservatives are seeking to claim that Bush's failure is not a failure of conservatism because -- as it turns out -- Bush was really a liberal all along. Alas, Bush's failure is simply the latest instance of the failure of liberalism.

[...]

As a political reality, conservatives are responsible for Bush's presidency. They claimed him as one of their own and engineered both of his elections. The newfound recognition that -- hey, what do you know? -- Bush, after all, turns out to be a liberal, is prompted by the collapse of his presidency, the collective realization that he has been a grand failure, and a desire to shield conservatism from the fallout. If this labelling of Bush as a "liberal" were prompted by genuine and intellectually honest observations, then the claim from conservatives that Bush is really a liberal would have been made long before he tumbled to 32%. It wasn't, and that is what makes it so dishonest.

[...]

See, conservatism cannot fail, but people can fail conservatism. But the definition of conservatism on answers.com doesn't say anything about fiscal responsibility.

1. The inclination, especially in politics, to maintain the existing or traditional order.
2. A political philosophy or attitude emphasizing respect for traditional institutions, distrust of government activism, and opposition to sudden change in the established order.
3. Conservatism The principles and policies of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom or of the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada.
4. Caution or moderation, as in behavior or outlook.

I guess it just doesn't apply anymore. The tax and spend liberal is just a cute little talking point that just holds no water. Since LBJ left a small surplus in the national treasury in 1969 it was over three decades before it happened again. In between we had Nixon and Nixon and Ford and Carter and Reagan and Reagan and GW Bush and Clinton. That's six R's and one D, Clinton doesn't count because he didn't make a happy plate. Apparently Republicans can't be trusted with security (9/11) foreign affairs (name it) or our checkbook. By looking at the definition above a truthful campaign slogan would be: Vote For Me, I'll Leave Everything Just Like It Is. Sorta like the Ruins maintenance department for the Parthenon.

The Runaway Executive

Somebody needs to take away his crayons.

President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

This is a very serious article written by Charlie Savage at the Boston Globe. Waytago Chuck, or as they will say at the Stenogr... er Correspondents Dinner, No Soup For You!!

Still, using words like disobey to describe a serial criminal is a little like putting lipstick on a pig. But see, our Prez Nit doesn't think he's breaking any laws. He doesn't veto anything. After he signs legislation, he breaks out his crayons and writes the real law. This makes him the Legislature-In-Chief. He can do this see, because he got a shiny new decoder ring from Battle Creek Michigan, that lets him judge what is constitutional. This also makes him a judge, or the Decider-In Chief.

The Rubber Stamp Republican controlled congress really don't want to make much of this highly illegal tactic since the Prez Nit is, well, a Republican. And midterms are so near. Democrats are just hoping for subpoena power that comes with being in the majority. Besides, it is pretty clear that congress is powerless to reign in this runaway executive, short of cutting all funding for his exploits or impeachment. It's clear that Bush thinks Congress' cute little laws are pretty irrelevant.

Good thing none of the laws the Prez Nit is violating are anything serious like murder or torture and shit. Oh wait, they are that bad. After torturing several prisoners the Administration decided they better get a legal okeydokey in case The dems ever got in control. As soon as they got their judicial "get out of jail free" card sewed up it was croney city. One of the judges that gave them permission was awarded the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court nomination four days later. The judge who originally came up with the signing statement idea got the other seat, Sam Alito.

The idea that America does not torture is lost on this Prez Nit. John Yoo, a key legal architect in Bush's post 9/11 soft dictatorship shares this chilling theory:

Cassel: If the President deems that heÂ’s got to torture somebody, including by crushing the testicles of the personÂ’s child, there is no law that can stop him?
Yoo: No treaty.
Cassel: Also no law by Congress. That is what you wrote in the August 2002 memo.
Yoo: I think it depends on why the President thinks he needs to do that.
(emphasis mine)

Dear reader, Yoo is referring to you. The Prez Nit can declare you an enemy combatant, throw you in jail with no charges, no lawyers, no judges, nada. He doesn't have to notify congress and he can drag your kid in front of you and start to mash his testicles. Or do unmentionables to your sweet little girl. Our fourth estate is nothing but stenographers of the Bushit cocktail weeney circuit. If it weren't for guys like Chuck and Sy and a few over at Newsweak and a handful of blogs, we wouldn't know about this stuff. It's time to get active locally. Do what you can to get progressives elected so we can put a stop to this outrage. Had Enough?

Immigration Redux

Just when you think the country couldn't get any more divided, it does. The huge immigration protests has put a finer point on a different type of divisiveness. The "law and order" branch of the Republican party demand the illegal immigrants be sent packing immediately and don't want to hear any noise about "path to citizenship." The Republican corporate paymasters want a cheap, abundant, fearful and powerless workforce to exploit. The "blue collar dems" see the doom of good wages in the face of illegals and the unions see the potential salvation of their falling membership.

And then there's my sister.

She lives in Southern California, and I can tell, she's just tired of this fucking shit. Trying to drive around in Southern California, knowing that a HUGE number of the cars on the road are being driven by people who don't belong there is immensely frustrating. She sends me emails, usually without comment, like this one:

From the L.A Times

1. 40% of all workers in L.A. County (L.A. County has 10 million
people) are working for cash and not paying taxes. This was because they
are predominantly illegal immigrants, working without a green card.

2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal
aliens.

3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are
illegal aliens.

4. Over 2/3's of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal
alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal whose births were paid for by taxpayers.

5. Nearly 25% of all inmates in California detention centers are
Mexican nationals here illegally.

6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living
in garages.

7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are
most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.

8. Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.

9. 21 radio stations in L.A. are Spanish speaking.

10. In L.A.County 5.1 million people speak English. 3.9 million
speak Spanish (10.2 million people in L.A.County).

(All 10 from the Los Angeles Times)

Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops but 29% are
on welfare.

Over 70% of the United States annual population growth (and over
90% of California, Florida, and New York) results from immigration.

The cost of immigration to the American taxpayer in 1997 was a
NET (after subtracting taxes immigrants pay) $70 BILLION a year, [Profess or
Donald Huddle, Rice University].

The lifetime fiscal impact (taxes paid minus services used) for
the average adult Mexican immigrant is a NEGATIVE

29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.

If they can come to this country to raise Hell and march by the
thousands, Why can't they take charge over the corruption in
their own
country? We are a bunch of fools for letting this continue.

I guess she thinks I don't geddit. Trust me Sis, I geddit. The only solution is to prosecute the exploiters. If the jobs are eliminated, illegals will self-deport. The truly criminal element of illegal immigrants must be dealt with harshly. We have plenty of homegrown crooks without these interlopers coming in. Depolarizing the magnet is the only true solution. Building a wall is worthless. Seems like I heard of someone building a wall before. Oh yes, in China. It is a big wall. No, strike that. It is a great wall. Probably why it's called the Great Wall of China. So great, in fact, that it is the only man-made structure on the planet that can be seen with the unaided eye from the surface of the moon. But it did not save the Ming Dynasty. So, what's all this shit I keep hearing about a wall? Methinks it's coming from the cyclone fence and ACME brick lobby.


I doubt we will ever see anything spectacular happen for a while. Several social diseases have higher approval ratings than Bush, who still has higher ratings than the Republican controlled congress, who has higher approval ratings than Deadeye Dick. With midterms at six months away and counting down I wouldn't be expecting any startling legislation to pass. Time to get busy at your local level and do all you can to support those who share your views. Be the change.