Dubya Wages Psychological Warfare On The American People, Trashes Foreign Policy

(2/12/02) With the FBI issuing a regular stream of bogus terrorist threats, the pieces of the Bush puzzle are falling nicely into place.  Dubya's strategy is to attempt to keep his "war" on terrorism and the "evil axis" in the forefront.

Why?  Simple.  He is trying to deflect the heat from Enrongate by capitalizing on his wartime popularity.  Further, if he can distract and confuse voters about how our economy got into this mess, he might be able to minimize the damage from the mid-term elections.

This political gambit is transparent and is exacting a terrible price on his government's credibility both home and abroad.  You can only claim "the sky is falling" a finite number of times before you turn into Chicken Little.  So far the sky has not fallen; now one must ask if it's because of the fine work by the FBI or possibly the fact that the sky was never going to fall in the first place.  Abroad, Dubya's agressive, arrogant, imperialistic declarations of empty threats are doing nothing but shattering support from our allies and solidifying the resolve of Islamic nations to defy American power. 

This situation is sheer madness and is a clear and present danger to world peace.  Dubya's duplicitous acts must be stopped.  How?  Become informed  about the upcoming 2002 midterm elections and support candidates who pledge to end this insanity.

Dubya's Enron Connections Deepen

An open letter to Bush from Michael Moore fills in some shocking details.

(2/11/02)  During the 2000 presidential campaign, Dubya flew around the country in Enron's jet, stumping on the tarmac about restoring dignity to the White House while Enron executives were ripping off their own employees, shareholders, and the American taxpayer. While the Enron jet loomed in the background.

Ken Lay interviewed and selected the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, a former lawyer for Arthur Anderson, and then worked to make sure that the accounting firm would not be held liable for illegitimate bookkeeping methods.

Dick Cheney and Ken Lay then proceeded to set up secret meetings with energy company executives to formulate a national energy policy.  The policy that came out of those meetings is pro-Big Oil at the expense of environmental and conservation concerns.  For example,  one provision suspends the requirement for the automotive industry to improve gas milage on new vehicles.

The list of Enron henchmen placed in the Bush Conflagration is long and impressive.  Lawrence Lindsey, chief economic advisor, former Enron advisor.  Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill? Former CEO of Alcoa, whose lobbying firm, Vinson and Elkins, was the #3 contributor to the Dubya'scampaign. Who is Vinson and Elkins? The law firm representing Enron. Who is Alcoa? The top polluter in Texas. Timothy White, the Secretary of the Army? A former vice-chair of Enron Energy! Robert Zoellick, your Federal Trade Representative? A former advisor at Enron. Karl Rove, your main man at the White House? He owned a quarter-million dollars of Enron stock.

Then there's the Enron lawyer Dubya nominated to be a federal judge in Texas, the Enron lobbyist who is chair of the Republican Party, the two Enron officials who now work for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, and the wife of Texas Senator Phil Gramm who sits on Enron's board. And there's the aforementioned Mr. Pitt, the former Arthur Andersen attorney whose job it is now as SEC head to oversee the stock markets.

This list is just for starters; this is a developing story so stay tuned! 

Jebbie Embroiled in Drug Coverup Scandal

(2/8/02)  Noelle Bush, daughter of Jeb Bush, a proud purveyor of ultra-tough drug laws, currently faces a felony charge of attempting to obtain a controlled substance with a forged perscription.  The drugs she was trying to get were Xanax, usually prescribed for panic disorder, and oxy-contin, a painkiller that has become a popular drug to abuse among the rave crowd.  Xanax is used by ravers to combat the anxiety of coming off of Ecstasy or as a stand-alone "high".

According to an allegation in the National Enquirer, Jeb Bush ordered police to drop charges 3 previous times when Noelle was attempting to do the same thing - obtain drugs illegally.  If this is proved true, Jebbie could be charged with Obstruction of Justice. 

Now, I realize that the National Enquirer is not generally considered to be a legitimate source, but since we all know that Jebbie is perfectly able and willing to obstruct justice for a family member, I, for one, am not going to dismiss this story until it is proven false.

Ironically, Florida is one of the states that has a "three strikes yer out" legal system.  Do you suppose this could have figured into the story?

Ronnie Raygun Turns 91

(2/8/02) Ronnie Reagan, arguably the worst US president in the last century, has now become the oldest surviving president in history.  This should not be a surprise, as when he was in office he was too daft to understand the stress he was under.

It is truly ironic that Reagan should end up with a debilitating mental disease.  Do you remember when "Dutch" ended federal grants to health care facilities that threw thousands of mentally ill persons out on the streets?  It would be sweet justice if Ronnie had to suffer the same fate, living under bridges and eating out of garbage cans.

Dubya Spends US Into Deficit

(2/8/02) As many of you may recall, much of the debate between Dubya and Gore was centered around how we should spend the estimated $10 trillion surplus.  Well, thanks to Dubya, that's one problem we no longer have to worry about.  He has just presented the biggest budget since Poppy was in office, $2.3 trillion, which will put the US in deficit spending until 2004.  So, Dubya is following the footsteps of GOPERS before him, notably Ronnie Raygun, who singlehandedly built the $4 trillion national debt.

Thanks to Tompaine for reminding us of Dubya's Dubyaspeak on the issue:

Presidential Candidate George W. Bush: "When you total up all the federal spending he [Al Gore] wants to do, it's the largest increase in federal spending in years. And there's just not going to be enough money.... This is a big spender, he is. And he ought to be proud of it. It's part of his record. We just have a different philosophy."(Third presidential debate, available on this site).

President George W. Bush: "My budget includes the largest increase in defense spending in two decades ... Whatever it costs to defend our country, we will pay ... our budget will run a deficit." (State of the Union address).

Enrongate vs. Watergate:  Which Is Worse?

(2/7/02)  I thought it might be interesting to compare these two scandals and the players.  History repeats, but not exactly.

In Watergate, Nixon was attempting to hide the illegal acts of overzealous underlings.  In Enrongate, Dubya and Cheney are deeply connected to the scandal through their years in the rough-and-tumble anything goes Texas oil business.

In Watergate, Nixon fought the release of tapes made in his office which contained conversations about how to cover up White House connections to the break-in.  He claimed "executive privelege" and lost.  In Enrongate, Cheney is fighting the release of records containing information about public energy policy meetings with his secret "task force".  The "task force" was made up of energy company executives who used the meetings to promote their own business interests.  Cheney is claiming that divulging information about those meetings will somehow "weaken the presidency".  He will lose.

In Watergate, the primary motivation for the chain of events was political ideology; the participants were following the misguided belief that they were so right and the Democrats were so wrong that the ends justified ANY means.  In Enrongate, the motivation is greed, the issue is money, and the method is to consolidate power in the hands of a few of the wealthiest indiduals in the country.  The top 1%, so to speak.

In Watergate, the victim was America's faith in the political system.  Before Watergate, we shared the naive belief that our elected officials basically sought office to perform service to the American insitutions and the people who elected them. Each revelation in Watergate was uglier than the last until that faith was smashed to smithereens and lost forever.  In Enrongate, we have learned how our government is entwined with and corrupted by corporations who wield control over the public, the government, and their own workers.  The victim here is our faith in the economic system, because we now know that corporations, when supported by the highest elected officer in the land, are capable of screwing their workers out of their fortunes without the smallest pang of guilt.

Dubya Spends $3.2 Million On Super Bowl Ads to Link Two Phony Wars

(2/6/02)  The "war" on terrorism and the "war" on drugs are both phony, corrupted figments of the GOPERNAZI imagination.  It has been alledged that the Bush family made a good part of its money by financing weapons for Hitlers Nazis and by the distribution of cocaine.  The hypocrisy of this administration for buying the most expensive ad time to broadcast this bullshit is reprehensible.

Dubya's Speech Writers Have LSD Flashbacks And Create "Evil Axis"

(2/6/02)  In Dubya's "Police State of the Union" speech his speechwriters apparently took a cue from Dubya's own incoherency and wrote it into his speech for him.  The term "Evil Axis" is a bastardized Frankensteinian combination of Reagan's "Evil Empire" and Roosevelt's referral to Germany, Italy, and Japan as "The Axis Powers" during World War II.

Too bad for Dubya that his dog won't hunt.  The trial balloons he sent up to test world support for prosecuting his imagined "war" on terrorism in Iraq, North Korea, and Iran were shot down by the international community quicker than you could say "imperial aggression".  China and Russia warned against attacking Iraq, and the idea of any US action against North Korea is just plain ludicrous.

ENRON SCANDAL ROCKS THE WHITE HOUSE

(1/20/02) In the aftermath of the biggest bankruptcy in the history of the world by Dubya's best friends in Corporate America, it is becoming increasingly clear that Enron's tentacles reach deep into the administration and right into the Oval Office.  Enron, Dubya's biggest political supporter, donated $725,000 to Dubya directly and millions of dollars to the RNC.

It is now well documented that Enron doctored its books, engaged in shady if not downright illegal business practices, and froze its employees out of their retirement funds while the top management cleaned out the accounts and pocketed the money themselves.

A brief accounting of Dubya and his cronies connections to Enron follows:

Poppy Bush - longtime pal of Enron CEO Kenneth Lay, Poppy appointed Lay to head two host committee.

Dick Cheney - met with Enron officials six times while forming national energy policy and has refused to reveal minutes of meetings to Congress.

John Ashcroft - recused himself from the Justice Department's probe of the Enron case because he is the recipient of $57,000 in campaign donations from Enron.

Paul O'Neill (Treasury Secretary) - discussed a possible government bailout with Ken Lay in October, the day before Enron's credit rating was downgraded.

Marc Racicot (RNC Chairman Nominee) - Dubya's handpicked to lead the RNC is on the payroll of a firm that lobbies for Enron.

Don Evans (Commerce Secretary) - Recipient of Enron campaign donations, spoke with Ken Lay in October.

Pat Wood (Chair of FERC) - The powerful chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was handpicked by Ken Lay after he convinced Dubya to fire Curtis Hebert, Jr.

Lawrence Lindsey (White House Economic Advisor) - Former Enron Consultant, they paid him $50,000 in 2000 before he moved to Dubya's staff.

Karl Rove (White House Senior Advisor) - Waited 5 months after taking office to sell more than $100,000 worth of Enron stock.

This is a developing story; watch for further updates as new information becomes available.

India, Pakistan Prepare for Nuke Exchange:  US Stuck In Foreign Policy Quagmire

(12/31/01)  Dubya's foreign policy blunders have put the US smack dab in the middle of a regional conflict that threatens to turn nuclear.  India and Pakistan have been skirmishing for years over the province of Kasmir, which both countries claim as their own territory.  The conflict heated up a notch following a terrorist attack by a Pakistani group on the Indian Parliment.

According to "Patterns of Global Terrorism", released by the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism as an official US State Department document on 4/30/2001, Dubya's blunder began by ignoring US law which clearly defines the criteria for "state sponsors of international terror".  The document states:

"If the United States deems a country to 'repeatedly provide support for acts of international terrorism,' the US Government is required by law to add it to the list.  In South Asia, the United States has been increasingly concerned about reports of Pakistani support to terrorist groups and elements active in Kashmir, as well as Pakistani support, especially military support, to the Taliban, which continues to harbor terrorist groups, including al-Qaida, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan."

We can only speculate about the details of the unholy alliance between Dubya and what is clearly a terrorist state as defined by US law; however, it is clear that the Pakistanis are emboldened by the alliance and are expecting some quid pro quo for their role in the US attack on Afghanistan.  This puts the US in an untenable position.  If war erupts between Pakistan and India, the US is now obligated to take sides with Pakistan.  If we fail to do so, it will be a clear message to the Islamic world about the value of a friendship with the US.

Dubya, As If On Cue, Downplays The Importance of bin Laden

(12/30/01)  Following his polictical election strategy, Dubya is now saying that bin Laden is not the objective of the "war" on terrorism.  This, of course, is directly contrary to many previous statements he made as rationale for the Afghanistan campaign in the first place.

What he is doing is laying the groundwork for protracted "wars" on many convenient targets in order to keep the American people whipped up in a state of blind nationalism.  The White House is even prepared to initiate a McCarthy-style witch hunt, claiming that there are terrorist groups networked all across America. 

In this scenario, anyone who raises a reasoned objection (such as this website, for example) can be branded as a traitor and supporting the enemies of the United States.

Tail-gunner Joe would be smiling up from the circle of hell for disheveled and dishonored politicians.  Nixon nudged Joe the other day and complimented him on coming up with a strategy to harness the national paranoia.  They both agreed that they'll have to start organizing a room for Dubya since he's on a highway to hell.

Dubya's Re-Election Plan:  Drag Phony War On Indefinitely

(12/29/01)  At the close of the Gulf War Poppy had the highest popularity ratings in history, much like Dubya enjoys.  Poppy still lost re-election to a relatively unknown Bill Clinton. 

What happened to poor old Poppy?  Three things led to his political demise.  First, his "popularity" turned out to be an expression of nationalism rather than support for him personally.  Second, he was perceived as being weak for not pursuing Saddam Hussein and removing him from power.  Third, the US economy tanked, although conditions back then seem laughable compared to what we have now.

Dubya and his handlers understand this scenario all too well.  They know that if he loses the edge of blind nationalism, he will have the stuffing knocked out of him on domestic issues, particularly the miserable state of our economy.  With mid-term elections right around the corner, the game of distraction must continue to avoid big political losses at home.

Dubya has already tipped his hand.  The supposedly "leakproof" administration has sent up a series of trial balloons to test public opinion about possible campaigns in Yemen, Somalia, and Iraq.  Dubya said in a news conference yesterday that this is not about Osama bin Laden, so even if he is killed or captured the "war" must go on. 

So, expect rationalization and saber rattling from the White House over the next weeks as the Afghanistan affair shifts from war to peacekeeping.  A new target will be demonized and Dubya will seek our support to attack it.