Tax "Rebate"?  Better Look At the Fine Print

(7/22/01)  If you are laboring under the misconception that your check from the IRS is a "rebate", guess again.  The check you will receive is a loan from your projected refund of tax year 2001.  That means your actual refund will be reduced by whatever you receive now, or, if you owe taxes your tax bill will be that much higher. 

Will it stimulate the economy?  I'm guessing not.  The people at the top end can buy whatever they want anyway, regardless of the tax loan.  The rest of us, if we're smart, will either save the money or use it to pay off existing debt.  It's hard to get very enthusiastic about going on a spending spree when you hear about massive layoffs and plant closings on a daily basis. (David Milstead, Rocky Mountain News.)

Fortunate Son Author J. H. Hatfield Found Dead

(7/20/01)  Author of the controversial unauthorized biography of George Dubya Bush J.H. Hatfield is dead from what the police are calling "suicide".  The police also said the scene was "perfectly staged". 

Hatfield's book alledges that Dubya was busted for cocaine and had the conviction expunged by his Poppy.  Hatfield said he had three sources for that story, but refused to identify them because they asked to remain anonymous.

If this was a suicide I'll eat my hat.  Hatfield had recently married and stated in his book that his life was turned around.  They even had a new baby, and his book, the only book burned in America in the last 50 years, had a new publisher.  This looks like a CIA job to me.

Putin Says Deal With Bush "Not a Breakthrough"

"We confirmed our commitment to the 1972 ABM pact." - Putin

(7/23/01) Despite the White House spinmeisters and right-wing press contentions that Dubya has somehow become a wily diplomat, the Russian president took something different away from their meetings.  Maybe something got lost in the translation from Bushese to English.

Putin is quoted as saying "There has been no principal breakthrough, indeed."  He went on to say that he and Bush had not agreed to modifications to the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, which bans the development of new missile systems.  "We confirmed our commitment to the 1972 ABM pact", Putin said.  Putin is already on record stating that if the US develops a Star Wars system,  Russia is ready to tear up all the previous treaties and arm their missles with multiple warheads, which would easily defeat any system the US could build.

What does seem clear is that both sides appear ready to discuss reduction of nuclear stockpiles.  This would be particularly useful to the Russians, who have limited funds to maintain their aging nuclear weapons.  How the linking of Star Wars to weapons reduction is going to work is puzzling to strategists on both sides.  A commentator on NPR's All Things Considered yesterday suggested that Putin and Bush are "making this up as they go along."  (MSNBC)

HOUSE PASSES FAITH-BASED INITIATIVE

(7/19/01) The House of Representatives today passed HR7, the "Faith-based Initative", by a roll call vote of 233-198.  Fifteen Democrats crossed party lines to vote for this bill:  Clement(TN), Condit(CA), Cramer(AL), Gordon(TN), Hall(OH), Hall(TX), LaFalce(NY), Lipinski(IL), Lucas(KY), McIntyre(NC), Mollohan(WV), Phelps(IL), Shows(MS), Skelton(MO), and Traficant(OH).

This bill is a direct violation of the First Amendment to the US Constitution which expressly prohibits the government from establishing religion.  It's time for political action.  Write to these Congressmen and express your disapproval.  Then write to your Senators and let them know you believe in upholding the Constitution, just like they swore to do when they took office.

More on this story later.

He's Out of His Mind - Space Based Lasers by 2005

(7/17/01)  Dubya has clearly blown a gasket over the Star Wars defense system.  The Washington Post is reporting that the latest plan includes putting a laser into orbit by 2005 in clear violation of the ABM Treaty of 1972 and the Space Treaty of 1967 (read full text of both treaties by clicking links to left). 

The Space Treaty of 1967 was signed to insure the peaceful use of space and clearly prohibits orbiting weapons of mass destruction or military use of the moon or other planets.  The ABM Treaty prohibits devising a defensive system to shoot down incoming missiles; this treaty structure has prevented a nuclear exchange for almost 30 years based on the principle of Mutual Assured Destruction.  Dubya is destabilizing this structure and the result is likely to be a renewal of the arms race and Cold War mentality.

All of this makes sense when you realize that Dubya has surrounded himself with decrepit, paradigm-crippled Cold Warriors.  We are in trouble, folks.

Check this link to the story:  http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10831-2001Jul17.html

Jenna Gets a $500 Fine and Probation

(7/6/01)  I guess the fact that the fake ID incident was her third offense in a "three strikes you're out" state doesn't mean much when you're the First Brat.  It will be interesting to see what happens on her next bust; you know she won't be able to keep her nose clean for 2 years.

CRITICAL:   Russia and China Sign Military and Economic Cooperation Pact

(7/15/01)  As a defiant response to last weekend's Star Wars test, Russia and China have put aside their differences and joined to balance what they perceive as an attempt at world domination by the United States.

This is the second destabilizing event since Dubya began blabbing nonsense about "rogue nations" and committing $billions in US resources in the biggest contractor boondoggle in our 225 year history.  The first destabilizing event occurred as Dubya was leaving Europe after stopping off to explain Star Wars to Vladimir Putin.  The engines on Air Force One hadn't even cooled off before Putin announced that if Dubya builds Star Wars in direct violation of the 1972 ABM treaty, the US could consider Start I and Start II dead as well and the Russians would simply put multiple warheads on their missles.  This practice, outlawed by the Start Treaties, would render any missile defense system useless by overwhelming it with sheer numbers of warheads.  Russia and the US each still possess thousands of warheads.

Rush Limbaugh Signs Quarter Billion Dollar Contract

(7/15/01)  If any of you folks had the misconception that the right wingnuts have moderated, this ought to be a reality check for you.  We can "look forward" to Rush spewing his vitriolic, untrue venom until 2009.

Andy Warhol once said that everyone got their 15 minutes of fame.  Rush got 8 years out of daily persecution of the Clintons; I thought that with Bill out of the White House he might just fade away, but I guess my hopes were premature.

Rush recently suggested a national holiday for Mary Jo Kopekne because her death kept Edward Kennedy from becoming President. 

Is anyone out there interested in joining a boycott of Limbaugh sponsors?  You have a choice when you buy.  I will be accumulating a list of the fathead's sponsors and their addresses so you can write in and let them know they've lost you as a customer.

Pentagon Conducts Meaningless Star Wars Test

(7/14/01)  The Pentagon shot a fish in a barrel today in a gesture to show the world that the US is serious about trashing the ABM Treaty and restarting the nuclear arms race.

The Russians have already announced that they will disregard Start I and Start II, the treaties that prohibited multiple warheads, if the United States proceeds with Star Wars.  This will effectively nullify the capability of Star Wars to defend the US from a missile attack by saturation.  Saturation means that there will be so much stuff coming in that it will be impossible to hit all of it.

So who is the winner in this?  The defense contractors, of course.  Dubya is giving them $8.3 billion this year for research.

Happy Independence Day Everyone!  Dubya's Comments:

"Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the president during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters.  The great inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with such values in America. And I--it's--I'm a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values."--Visiting the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C., July 2, 2001. (Slate Magazine)

Cheney Goes To Hospital Third Time In 6 Months For Bad Ticker

(6/30/01)  Despite the many campaign reassurances we got from both Dubya and Cheney that he was fit as a fiddle to be Vice President, Dickie today had a turbocharged pacemaker implanted.  The procedure was done as a treatment for irregular heartbeat, a serious condition that frequently results in death.

Cheney's spinmeisters were busy telling us that Dickie's current problems are not related to job stress and this will have no effect on his ability to do his job.  Excuse me, could we get a second opinion on that?

The Vice President has important job functions and they must also be ready to step up to the plate and hit a home run if they have to assume the Presidency.  It is unfair to the American people to risk a crisis in leadership on someone with a potentially fatal heart condition.  This would even be worse than the crisis of leadership we face with The Shrub in office.

Japanese Foreign Minister Calls Dubya An "Asshole"

(6/30/01) Makiko Tanaka's visit to Washington DC was agreed to by the US government after strenuous efforts by the Japanese government. The objective of her trip was to vindicate what she expressed about US foreign policies at meetings with her counterparts from other countries. She conveyed her messages of criticism about the foreign polices of the US government to them. She is an outspoken critic of the "Star Wars" plan.

During the conversation with her old classmates at the reception in German Town High School, The Weekly Post learned that Ms. Tanaka made a remark about George Bush, "He is totally an asshole" in English.

The majority of her classmates seemed to support the Republican Party, however, they were critical about Mr. Bush's new missile defense plan. When Ms. Tanaka made this remark, the classmates in the room were reportedly excited.

There has never been a statesman in Japanese history that called a US president 'an asshole.'  (The Weekly Post)