YELLOW JOURNALISM:  MSNBC Says Late Rally of Dow on 10/25 Due To Death of Wellstone

(10/25/02) In the new tradition of yakking to hear your head rattle, reporters on MSNBC attributed the afternoon surge in the stock market to news of Paul Wellstone's tragic death.  Articles from other news sources such as Reuters cited that Wellstone's demise had little effect on the market.

The comments made by the MSNBC reporters are inaccurate, inexcusable, and are a perfect example of how TV news has degraded to a hoard of ambulance-chasing sensationalists who'll say anything that pops into their empty heads.

Don Henley said it quite well:

We got the bubble-headed bleach blonde
Comes on at five
She can tell ya 'bout the plane crash
With a gleam in her eye
It's int'resting when people die
Give us dirty laundry

Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em when they're down
Kick 'em when they're up
Kick 'em all around

While We Slept...

(10/11/02)  The Legislative branch of the US government allowed the Executive branch to seize unprecedented power by rolling over for a resolution supporting Dubya's IrakAttack. 

The full text of the sellout is available by clicking the "Joint Resolution" link on the left.  Congress has shamefully shucked its Constitutional responsibility as the branch of government that declares war.

Dubya now has "legitimacy" for his imperial doctrine of "pre-emptive defense", an oxymoron that means he can order military action against any nation on earth before providing specific justification to Congress or the American people. 

That's the Texas way... shoot first, ask questions later.

Public Support For IrakAttack Dwindles

(10/10/02)  Check out latest polls at http://pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

LIAR, LIAR:  JIM CARREY PUT TO SHAME BY DIRTBAG DUBYA

(10/9/02) On Monday, the Man Who Would Be King went on national, er, cable TV to tell us of the perils we face from Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.  Naturally, there were no new facts in Shrubs' rant, just the same old same old rehashed into new vague warnings.  Saddam, we were assured, would certainly be using nukes, bugs, and chemicals on the US as soon as he could soup up some robot airplanes to buzz bomb the bejeezus out of us.

But the CIA stuck a monkey wrench in the slimeball propaganda machine by telling us... THE TRUTH.  In a letter written to the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on National Security, CIA Director Tenet stated clearly that SADDAM HAS NO PLANS TO ATTACK THE US OR OUR INTERESTS.  In fact, said Tenet, if the US were to attack Iraq, there is an increased risk that any such weapons he may have WOULD BE DEPLOYED BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.

It has been apparent to me from the beginning of this IrakAttak nonsense that it is a crude attempt to draw the national attention away from the tanking economy and Dubya & Cheney's legal problems with their CORPORATE FRAUD. 

What a stinking pile of SHIT we have in the executive branch.

ACTION ALERT: BUSH THREATENS UN

(9/20/02)  Bush told the world yesterday that the US will attack Iraq regardless of what the UN or anybody else says.  The AP reported that "he challenged the Security Council anew to show some 'backbone ... or the United States and some of our friends will do so.'''

It is time, friends, to let your elected representatives understand that we consider ourselves to be a nation established on law and that we do not take our international obligations lightly.  Bush has turned the US into a rogue nation by his own definition.  He must be prevented from taking this illegal action against Iraq.

Please take the time to write your representatives.

Christopher Reeve Slams Dubya For Violation of Church/State Separation

(9/17/02)  Citing Shrub's capitulation to the Catholic church on the issue of stem cells and cloning, Chris Reeve blasted the First Imposter for obstruction of research into therapeutic cloning that holds hope for quadraplegic people.  Reeve, who said he is "angry and disappointed", brought up the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe in blood transfusions.  "... what if the president decided to listen to them instead of the Catholics?  Where would we be without blood transfusions?"

Reeve, best known for his role as Superman in a series of blockbuster movies, recently turned 50 in a wheelchair from an injury he sustained in a horse-riding accident.

There's no doubt in my mind that if Reeve ever gets out of that chair, he's going to open up a whole case of WHOOP-ASS on that chicken-dung in the White House.

Dubya Tries His Best Checkers Move, But Saddam Is Playing Chess

(9/16/02)  As the White House warmongers were preparing their apparent victory over opponents of Dubya's imperialistic IrakAttak policy, Saddam outsmarted them by inviting UN weapons inspectors back into the country.  Dubya thought he had the UN on the run with his tough talk; now he's manuevered himself into a losing position.

By going to the UN to seek its blessing, he was gambling that the UN would back the US.  It appeared as though the mood was shifting in Dubya's favor after his speech; however, since the inspectors are going back into Iraq, it is a near certainty that the Security Council will veto any military action unless Saddam really screws up.  China and Russia will certainly veto any such measures.

Poor ol' Dub can only make wimpy noises about how the Iraqis are insincere and that the US retains the right to attack unilaterally.

Really?  What right is that?  The US Constitution says that CONGRESS is the branch of the government that declares war, not the simpleton draft-dodging office-stealing wannabe king from Texas.  I don't see Congress jumping up and down screaming for blood.  Do you?

Caught In a Bald-faced LIE:  White House Forced To Retract Dubya's Chumming

(9/7/97) For many months Dubya and his minions have been publicly stating that the US must remove Saddam Hussein from power because Iraq is building weapons of mass destruction.  In recent weeks, the public has been eying this claim with increasing skepticism, demanding that Dubya bring some proof forward to back his claims.

On Saturday, September 7, Shrub tried to hoodwink the world with a bogus fantasyland story based on a 1998 report by the UN Atomic Energy Agency.  According to NBC News, Dub and his lapdog Tony Blair said the report and a satellite photo proved that Iraq was just 6 months away from developing nuclear weapons.  Shrub said "I don't know what more evidence we need.  We owe it to future generations to deal with this problem."

However, red-faced White House officials had to retract the statement when it was pointed out by NBC News reporter Robert Windrem that the 1998 report said no such thing.  The report actually said that Iraq had been 6 to 24 months away from having nukes BEFORE THE GULF WAR AND UN WEAPONS INSPECTIONS.  In the report's summary, it stated "based on all credible information available to date, the IAEA has found no indication of Iraq having achieved its programme goal of producing nuclear weapons or of Iraq having retained a physical capability for the production of weapon-usable nuclear material or having clandestinely obtained such material".

We're still waiting, Shrub, you despicable LIAR.

How To Spread Disinformation

(9/9/02)  Dick Cheney has discovered that the best way to spread fear and disinformation is to interview himself rather than let the reporters ask the questions.  On yesterday's Meet The Press, Cheney said "Now, we have made it much more difficult I think for them to operate.  Now, did they have a mojor attack planned in that intervening period?  I don't know, I suspect they probably did, and I suspect we probably deterred some attacks.  But does that mean the problem is solved?  Obviously not."

The Dub Claims That The World Lacks "Credibility" On IrakAttack

(9/5/02)  Yesterday His Shrubness tried to browbeat Congressional leaders into believing his "Evil Saddam" schtick.  He said the world lacks credibility on the issue, but key members of congress on BOTH sides of the aisle are saying "Where's the BEEF?" They are demanding proof that Saddam is the threat Dubya says he is.

On the issue of credibility, Dub had better mind his own ranch.  First, he has been saying the US will remove Saddam with force since January, but there has been no action.  Second, he said he doesn't need Congressional approval but now he says he's going to ask for it (poll-driven decision).  Third, he claimed that the US had UN authority to act unilaterally under the terms of the first Gulf War, but now says he will seek Security Council permission.  Fourth, his administration is waffling about inspectors, first saying it's too late for inspectors and then saying war could be avoided if Saddam would comply with inspection.

Through all this, Dub keeps urping up pearls of wisdom like "As a result of evil, there's some amazing things that are taking place in America".

Uffda.

Dubya Becomes Laughingstock of America:  Wants to Stop Forest Fires By Cutting Down Forests

(8/23/02)  In what has to be one of the most bizarre speeches of the last century, the Shrub insisted that opening America's protected national forests to logging is a solution to forest fires.  Apparently someone has convinced the First Idiot that it's the TREES' fault that we have forest fires.  Dub stumbled all over his speech to tell us that we have to SET PRIORITIES. 

It's pretty obvious that Dubya's priorities are with the lumber barons, not with the conservationists.  Only God can make a tree, but any POLITICAL HACK can make a Bush.

ASHCROFT BODY-SLAMMED BY FISA COURT:  MAJOR VICTORY FOR LIBERTY!!!

(8/22/02)  Mark this day on your calendar, because today Miss Liberty holds her torch a bit higher, her book of laws protects our rights a bit stronger, and the Liberty Bell rings out loud and clear with the message that tyranny is dying in America!

The secret Federal court that oversees the implementation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) castrated John Ashcroft for providing erroneous information to obtain wiretaps and search warrants in at least 75 cases.   This ruling also limits the ironically mis-named "Patriot Act" which a knee-jerk legislature passed  with most members not even reading it.  The "Patriot Act" is a cancer on our nation, a trashing of our Constitutional rights. 

Ashcroft is reeling, the Liberty Bell is pealing.  LONG LIVE AMERICA, LONG LIVE LIBERTY!!!

Wheels Fall Off Dub's IrakAttack

(8/23/02) With world leaders lining up to condemn Dubya for his widely announced war on Iraq, the Great Pretender and his Cold Warrior fantasists are looking more like horses' asses every day.

The Saudis won't let the US base forces on their soil for use against Iraq.  The Russians just signed an economic deal with Iraq and are condemning US saber rattling.  The UN ruled that such an attack would be illegal.  The Germans told Shrub that he's on his own.  Henry Kissinger, Norman Swartzkopf, and Brent Scowcroft, long-time conservative political and military advisors have declared the idea a disaster. Tony Blair, the only world leader that has expressed any interest in the misadventure, is coming under excruciating political pressure at home to reverse his position.

Against this backdrop, the stories leaked are becoming increasingly ludicrous.  A report received by the Lebanese government says that Bush plans to commandeer airports in several Arab states so he has bases of operations.

Is Dubya really this stupid or is he severely deluded?

Life Mimics Art:  Ashcroft Plans Concentration Camps a la Red Dawn

(8/23/02)  In the somewhat lame flick Red Dawn, Patrick Swayze and his high school buddies hide out in the mountains and execute guerilla attacks on Russian and Cuban invaders while less fortunate Americans huddle in barbed-wire enclosed camps with commie propaganda blaring endlessly through loudspeakers.

John Ashcroft has a similar vision of America, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.  The difference is that the camps are to be operated by the American government, who will use them to hold American citizens indefinitely without charges, legal counsel, or visitors.

Two test cases may determine whether these camps come into being.  Jose Padilla, the so-called "dirty bomber" has been held by the government for months without charges, even though Ashcroft was made to look the fool for his baseless and reckless charges in the media.  Yaser Edam Hamdi's case is identical to John Walker Lindh's case, except that Lindh got an attorney and a trial and Hamdi has been left to rot in a Navy brig.

Ashcroft is a menace to your Constitutional rights.  He must be stopped.

Dubya Blew It:  Time Magazine Reports On Ignored Warnings About al-Qaeda

(8/5/02)  The Clinton Administration tried to hand over a comprehensive plan to stop al-Qaeda, but despite efforts of the transition team, the Bush Administration ignored the warnings and blew off the plan.

Richard Clarke, a career security expert whose service in government goes back to the Poppy Bush administration, developed the aggressive plan after the attack on the US Cole. 

In light of the gross incompetence and pathological scheming of Dubya's foreign policy, this latest revelation of a blunder should surprise no one.

Read the whole story by clicking HERE.

Fun Facts For Stock Market Investors

(7/20/02)  With the market going down the toilet and the average worker stuck in their 401k plan shoved down their throat by the same corporations that took away their pension plans and are now ripping them off, I thought a bit of humor might be in order.

The following numbers are true... you can look them up online.

If you had $1000 in Enron stock on the day Dubya was inaugurated, you would have had 24.02 shares which would be worth $2.16 today.

If you had $1000 in WorldCom stock on the day Dubya was inaugurated, you would have had 13.96 shares which would be worth $1.31 today.

If you had $1000 in XO Communications stock on the day Dubya was inaugurated, you would have had 20 shares of stock which would be worth $6.00 today.

However, if you lived in California and would have gone out on Inauguration Day and bought $1000 worth of Budweiser beer, you would have had 75 cases of beer including the 10 cent deposit (this assumes you could have found the beer on sale for $10.95 per case).  You could have drank the beer over the last 2 years, enjoying every last drop of it, and then taken the cans back for the deposit and still have $180 in your pocket.

This is definitely the best solution when you have a pretzeldent that drives you to drinkin'.

Forget the Constitution... your government is spying on YOU.

(7/17/02)  It's called TIPS, and what it boils down to is that the US government is recruiting people who have access to your house to gather information about you without a warrant while they do their jobs.  Candidates for such work are postal workers, cable TV installers, plumbers, utility workers, and others who would be able to enter your house with or without your knowledge and consent.

You think I'm kidding?  A pilot program has already started in 10 US cities.  Big Brother is watching... this ain't no joke.

History Repeats:  Cheney = Spiro Agnew

(7/17/02)  Dicky is being sued and investigated by the SEC for his role as CEO of Halliburton during a period where the company overstated its earnings by $460 million.  This is similar to the tactic used at WorldCom.

Cheney left Halliburton in 2000 with $20 million in compensation and stock option profits.  My prediction is that like Nixon, Dubya will be forced to dump Cheney for his past business crimes.

What the hell is a "financial crimes SWAT team"?

(7/17/02)  When you're from Texas, it always comes down to guns.  In his greatly-hyped but severely disappointing speech on corporate responsibility, Dub announced that he was setting up a "financial crimes SWAT team".  Is this going to be a bunch of guys in business suits shouting "hut hut hut" in cadence as they storm into corporate offices obliterating shredders,  confiscating file cabinets, and searching for wrongdoers?

The so-called "SWAT" team didn't even get all the way through their first meeting before it was discovered that the team's head, Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, has a past rife with allegations of corporate fraud.  Thompson served as a board member of Providian and also chairman of its audit and compliance committee during 4 years of highly unusual and suspect business deals.  Providian stacked loads of hidden charges on its predatory loans to inner city poor.

Stock Market Plummets, Dubya Blames Clinton

(7/17/02)  During the last week, the DJIA has fallen for 7 straight days while Dub has been tooting his horn about "corporate wrongdoers" and blaming it all on Bill Clinton.  The wildly swinging markets are moving in hundreds of points on a daily basis, an indicator that investors are unwilling to believe that Shrub has the ability or the moral authority to stop corporate cheats.

Meanwhile, Dubya has given two speeches where he specifically names the Clinton Administration as the root cause for corporate evildoing.   Well, Clinton was the president when Dick Cheney ripped of Halliburton stockholders for HALF A BILLION DOLLARS. 

However, if Dubya wants to play the blame game, he should remember that we all know that he did an illegal insider trade worth more than 3/4 of a million bucks while his Poppy was president.

Stock Cheat Dubya's Harken Energy Insider Trading In The Spotlight

(7/3/02) I hate to say "I told you so", but this story has been on this very webpage since the first day I went online.  See below, "Let's talk about businessman George Dubya Bush."

As the First Hypocrite snorts and postures and talks tough in preparation for a major speech on corporate ethics, his own criminal business deals are coming under public scrutiny.

In June 1990, Dubya sold $885,000 worth of Harken stock based on inside information  he had concerning the impending Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.  60 days later, the stock lost 25% of its value, which would have cost the Great Pretender $220,000.  He then tried to cover up the deal by failing to disclose the sale as required by SEC regulations.  He has told two different stories about the sale; Ari Fleicher today tried to compare it to "going 60 in a 55" and blame it on Dubya's lawyers.  However, the individual stockholder bears the responsibility to report the sales; it cannot be delegated.

The SEC was told to leave the deal alone by none other than, you guessed it, President George Herbert Walker Bush.

This whole sordid affair guts Dubya's credibility, not to mention his moral authority, to speak to the American people about how he's going to make corporate executives responsible for their actions.

Remember, you  read it here in January 2000. 

Pakistan's Musharraf Declares Himself Tinpot Dictator

(7/1/02)  Emboldened by Bush Administration support, Pakistani despot Pervez Musharraf has moved to tighten his iron grip on power.  Among his recent actions are:

* Declaring himself President for 5 years.  He probably got that office theft idea from Dubya.

* Asserting presidential power to remove the prime minister and parliment, who are all elected officials.

* Seizing control of the military. 

Musharraf has obviously recognized that the US prefers to deal with Arabic dictators who are firmly in control of their people.  Being a Bush toady seems a fair price to pay for his god-like power.

Interestingly, Dubya insists on "democratic reforms" as a condition for a Palistinian state.  He says Arafat "must go".  However, the standard doesn't apply to the rest of the Arab world, including Pakistan, a known sponsor of terrorist acts against India with a dictator at the helm.

Bush Twins Boozing It Up In Washington Bar

(6/28/02)  The Washington Post reported today that Jenna and Barbara Bush were seen sucking down Budweisers and chain-smoking cigarettes at Stetson's, the Texas-style saloon located in Washington DC.   Multiple witnesses reported seeing them there past midnight.

Dubya's Chief Terrorism Advisor Resigns

(6/28/02)  The leading advocate of first strikes against terrorists, retired General Wayne Downing, left the Bushies in a huff yesterday.  It seems that they told him he'd have as much influence as Condi Rice, which appealed to his meglomania but led to bitter disappointment.

Downing formulated a hare-brained plan for ousting Saddam Hussein; apparently it was so blatantly idiotic that even Dubya, who has an obsessive desire to "get" Hussein, couldn't buy it.

Supreme Court Upholds School Vouchers

(6/28/02)  In a move that erases the boundary between church and state and will cause untold problems for financially strapped public schools, the Supremes have upheld the constitutionality of school vouchers.  This amounts to public funding of religious schools, expressly prohibited by the First Amendment.

The religious fanatics are attempting to impose a Christian version of the Taliban on America.  Our founders must be rolling in their graves.

Federal Court Rules Pledge Of Allegiance Unconstitutional

(6/27/02)  The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday that the phrase "under God", inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance by a congressional act in 1954, is a violation of the First Amendment which prohibits the State from establishing religion. 

In a well-reasoned opinion, Judge Alfred T. Goodwin wrote "A profession that we are a nation 'under God' is identical, for Establishment Clause purposes, to a profession that we are a nation 'under Jesus,' a nation 'under Vishnu,' a nation 'under Zeus,' or a nation 'under no god,' because none of these professions can be neutral with respect to religion."

This issue will certainly be a rallying point for the religious right wingnuts and their political dogs in congress.  Trent Lott and Asa Hutchinson have already appeared in a press conference vowing whatever action is necessary to overrule the court decision.  It is critical to these reactionaries that if you're going to be pledging your loyalty to the US that you must also acknowledge the theocracy.

Dubya Projects Imperial Power By Dictating Who "Has To Go"

(6/26/02)  Castro "has to go".  Saddam "has to go".  The Taliban "has to go".  Yassir Arafat "has to go". 

The Imperial Presidency is now trying to hide its ineffective, impotent, isolationist failure behind edicts about who is fit to lead and who "must go".  The American People are supposed to interpret this sham as "foreign policy" where in reality it is nothing more than meglomanic bleating from an inexperienced spoiled brat who recently "discovered" that there are black people  in Brazil, too.

The declaration that Arafat "must go" as a condition for US involvement in establishing a just peace is more evidence that US policy in this matter is heavily weighted toward the Israeli side.  Nobody is fooled, the Palestinians know it, the Israelis know it, the Arab countries know it, even Tony Blair knows it. 

Dubya has to go.

Israelis Move to Re-Occupy Palestinian Areas

(6/21/02)  Following a series of violent attacks, the Israelis have called up reserves and are re-occupying Palestinian areas.  This is a giant step backwards and will only serve to aggravate the situation and increase the violence.

"If you want peace, work for justice", said Pope John XXIII.  The only just solution is the negotiated creation of a sovereign Palestinian state.  Until this is done, the cycle of violence will continue.  Shame on the politicians who exploit this situation for their own personal gain.

You Have The Right to Be Jailed Indefinitely

(6/21/02)  The Justice Department is attempting to set a new precedent that will suspend your Constitutional rights.  They are appealing a judge's ruling that an American born "suspected Taliban member" be allowed to have legal counsel.

Their argument is that so-called "enemy combatants" have no customary or legal rights to counsel concerning their detention.

David Cole, a Georgetown University professor summed up the flaws in this power grab rather succinctly in an interview in the Washington Post:

"It's not just that you have no right to a lawyer, it's that you have no right to even have a hearing," he said.  "If that is true, then there is really no limit to the President's power to label U.S. citizens as bad people and then have them held in military custody indefinitely."

US Soldiers Prepare for Jungle War

(6/21/02)  The Pentagon is sending a battalion of soldiers to assist the Philippine Army fight Muslim terrorists.  1200 will be sent, making this the biggest anti-terrorism force outside of Afghanistan.

The troops are supposed to be primarily training and advising, and are supposed to be returning no later than July 31. 

This sounds amazingly like what the government was saying about the troops in Viet Nam in 1962.

The Imperial Presidency:  Dubya Orders CIA Hit On Saddam Hussein

(6/17/02)  In what can only be described as an international embarrassment, the Washington Post reported yesterday that earlier this year Dubya authorized the killing of Saddam Hussein.  This means that Dubya has made it the official policy of the US to assassinate the leader of a sovereign nation with which we are not at war.

The Post story quotes Bush as saying "I made up my mind that Hussein needs to go.  That's about all I'm willing to share with you.  The policy of my government is that he goes."

Bush has also authorized "covert action to distrupt, capture, or destroy terrorists in as many as 80 countries", the story continues, leaving CIA resources stretched thinner than ever. 

A CIA official is quoted as saying "You can't take on the world".  But that's exactly what Dubya is doing, isn't it?

Evil Axis to Expand to 60:  Members Are Subject to Pre-Emptive Nuclear Strikes

(5/14/02)  In a speech to West Point graduates, Dubya announced that the Evil Axis may soon contain up to 60 members.  This is interesting from the mathematical point of view.  The original Evil Axis had 3 members, Iran, Iraq and North Korea.  Then Dubya added 3 more members, Libya, Syria, and Cuba.  That DOUBLED the size from 3 to 6.  Now he's using the number 60, which is TEN times the original membership. 

Dubya may have a problem, though, in that he's running out of countries.  60 is about 1/3 of the world's nations, so if he wants to expand the Evil Axis again, he will be limited to a factor of 3.

Perhaps it would just be easier to understand if he said "The whole world is against us, so you have to wrap your ass in the American flag like I did and support me."

A new threat to Evil Axis members is that the US may nuke them if their governments "support terrorism" and the terrorists are getting "weapons of mass destruction".  What Dubya is saying here is that the US is the only country allowed to have and wield nukes and bioweapons.  The rest of you can go fish.  

Dubya Trashes US  Treaty Credibility and Pays Off Energy Buddies

(6/14/02)  In just 2 days, the Dictator in Chief managed to destroy the US as a credible treaty partner and emasculate the Clean Air Act. 

Yesterday, the US officially withdrew from the 1972 ABM treaty.  This was CLEARLY a violation of the treaty, which spells out in no uncertain terms what conditions must be met for a party to withdraw from the treaty.  Article 15 states the following: