Joe Conason has the same question I do.

So, when does the compassion part kick in exactly?

A sure sign that you might have an issue with compassion is that you need to create a seperate agenda to include it with the rest your initiatives. You well never hear the words Compassionate Democrat or Compassionate Liberal. We don't need the qualifiers because the compassion is a given, which is why the way this administration congratulates itself on its "compassion" is ludicrous.

Not to mention hypocritical.

The State Department has discontinued financing for a small but well-regarded AIDS program for African and Asian refugees because it contends that one of the groups involved in the project supports forced abortions and involuntary sterilization in China, officials said this week.

The decision to end the financing has raised a furor among AIDS and refugee groups. Relief workers fear that officials are bowing to pressure from anti-abortion factions within the Bush administration and allowing politics to interfere with desperately needed AIDS programs, assertions that the State Department denies.

The group, Marie Stopes International, offers abortion counseling and services.

State Department officials acknowledge that they have no evidence to suggest that Marie Stopes is involved in forced abortions or involuntary sterilization, and the group itself says it has been trying to end forced abortions in China and to expand voluntary family planning.

Oh but wait till you get to the end.

The State Department gave $1 million to cover the first year of the project and offered to finance the six other relief organizations involved in the program for a second year if they agreed to end their partnership with Marie Stopes.

The groups, known collectively as the Reproductive Health for Refugees Consortium, declined the government's offer, saying they would not divide the organization because of "baseless allegations." The groups include the International Rescue Committee, CARE, the American Refugee Committee, the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, John Snow International and Columbia University's department of population and family health.

"We were disappointed that for reasons of solidarity with Marie Stopes that they should refuse our money," said the State Department official. "We had hoped they would show more humanitarian statesmanship than that."

If you are shocked and dismayed at this you are probably a perfectly nice person and will almost definitely go to heaven. You are also stupid. It's been over two and a half years. Face it. There is no compassion here, just narrow-minded politics barely disguised as compassion. If you can't see that yet you deserve to be stuck with this guy for another four years.

Karl Rove guilty of serious security breach ala Kim Philby

Mark Kleiman tells us Joseph Wilson blows the whistle on Rove at a forum held in Washington state to discuss the mishandling of intelligence information that lead the US to war. Wilson's wife was outed by "White House sources" as a CIA operative in attempt to intimidate Wilson after he wrote an op-ed piece for the NYT dismissing the Iraq/Niger/yellowcake assertions made by Bush in his SOTU. Kleiman also gives good backstory on the whole thing.

At the end of the day, it's of keen interest to me to see whether or not we can get Karl Rove frog-marched out of the White House in handcuffs. And trust me, when I use that name, I measure my words.

Of course, the mainstream media is away from its desk on this one, probably covering brush clearage in Crawford, TX

Who ya gonna call?

If you're a soldier in the US Army who collapsed in 130-degree heat in Iraq, fell into a coma, nearly died of heart failure, who returned to Roxbury, MA only to face homelessness, Ted Kennedy is THE man.

In the past two weeks, the Army has promised to ship her possessions back from Germany, she's seen doctors at the veterans' hospital, and she's been told to expect her first disability check next month. But the help, she said, only came after the office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy intervened. For example, she said, the Army refused to fly her brother and sister to Germany to bring her daughter home. Then the senator's office called and suddenly a flight was offered.
''Was that a coincidence?'' Turner said. ''I don't think so.'' Veterans' officials, both nationally and locally, now know about her case and vow to make it a priority.

What happened to all of that patriotic goodwill? Vannessa Turner couldn't get assistance from the goddamn US Army, for Christsakes, until the last liberal holding public office intervened.
Read the article, it says vets account for 23% of our homeless population. That's just unacceptable. Maybe this is why tours of duty are being extended to one year or longer. The fucking government can't guarantee some of these folks will have homes when they return.

Can we make a case for committing right-wingers en masse?

This probably won’t fly, especially coming from such a well-known partisan like myself (nearly 2,000 hits! Woo Hoo! I know, no-one reads me), but that’s no reason to reject the proposal outright. And to be fair I’m not suggesting we commit all conservatives and Republicans. I’m sure there are many red-state types are as dismayed as I at the current state of affairs. But let’s face it; as a party, Republicans have totally lost touch with reality.

Let’s look at the evidence.

The Flypaper Theory: I should probably keep my trap shut on this one, but it seems to me that the logic in this argument is—well—not there. But don’t take my word on it. Josh has thought about it more and is considerably smarter than me.

Now, we've already had the 'flypaper' theory: that guerilla attacks against American troops are a good thing because we're pulling 'the terrorists' out of the woodwork and attacking them on our own terms. And now we have what I guess we could call the 'paradoxically positive mass-casualty terrorism event' theory: that mass-casualty terrorism events show the success of our policy since they are a sign 'the terrorists' are becoming desperate.

Yes, you do have to read it more than once ‘cause the sheer bland gall of that statement kind of ricochets off the common sense modules of your brain. I not only share Josh’s skepticism but take it a step further. Isn’t there something slightly manic about this way of thinking? Don’t psychotics rationalize violence with mock logic? What other kind of person could look at a mass bombing and say, “This is actually pretty good.” I could say more but I don’t know anything about psychology really. Moving on.

Religious Fanaticism: George “God Made Me President” W. has made it safe for religious whack jobs everywhere to come out of the closet. Take the case of Justice Moore in Alabama. One would think that the monument was actually THE Ten Commandments, superglue and all. This suit is more than tenacious. It’s obsessive and likely to end his career. I don’t know what the medical term might be for this but I know crazy when I see it.

California Recall: Do I really have to deconstruct this? Batshit insane, every last one of them.

Fox News vs. Al Franken: This is the best of the bunch. Before, I would have willing to dismiss this as simply Fox News and Bill O’Reilly being candy-assed spoiled children. But when you are candy-assed and spoiled to the tune of $61 million…well what can I say? Obsessive, paranoid, deluded, can we throw these people a Thorazine kegger?

I could go on but what good what it do? Coulter, Tucker, Friedman. It might be funny for a little while but it would get repetitive. And jesting aside it’s not all that funny. Let it never be said that this blog discriminates against the insane. I’m not after them because they are crazy people. I’m after them because the are crazy people with air time and expense accounts. So let’s start a letter writing campaign, raise some money, circulate a petition. Commit the Right-wing Crazies. Can I get an “Amen?”

This fall's pick for One Book, One Chicago is The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. There is a rumor floating around that this was a deliberate choice on the part of the Chicago Public Library as a way to get the city to start a conversation about war and opposition. Once again I've got to hand it to our libraries for being more gutsy than say our elected officials.

If you haven't read the book yet, now would be a good time. Don't buy it though. Check it out from the library.

From the title story:

They had no sense of strategy or mission. They searched the villages without knowing what to look for, not caring, kicking over jars of rice, frisking children and old men, blowing tunnels, sometimes setting fires and sometimes not, then forming up and moving on to the next village, then other villages, where it would always be the same. They carried their own lives. The pressures were enormous. In the heat of early afternoon, they would remove their helmets and flak jackets, walking bare, which was dangerous, but which helped ease the strain. They would often discard things along the route of the march. Purely for comfort, they would throw away rations, blow their Claymores and grenades, no matter, because by nightfall the resupply choppers would arrive with more of the same, then a day or two later still more, fresh sweaters—the resources were stunning—sparklers for the Fourth of July, colored eggs for Easter—it was the great American war chest—the fruits of science, the smokestacks, the canneries, the arsenals at Hartford, the Minnesota forests, the machine shops, the vast fields of corn and wheat—they carried like freight trains; they carried it on their backs and shoulders—and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry.

Okay, this is sacrilege
I think every self-respecting Catholic should take this into their local parish priest and demand some gnashing and grinding of teeth at the highest levels of the church. This isn't just portraying Bush as Jesus-- this is portraying him as The Sacred Heart. And I would have to consult with my uberCatholic brothers to be sure, but I think it's a thousand times worse. This really hit a nerve with me, and I'm not even practicing, my youngest isn't even baptized (unless you count his uncle Arnold baptizing him in the tub when he was a toddler to make sure he wouldn't be lost in purgatory for eternity). This is enough to send me back to Sunday mass. This makes me want to vomit (penicillin, benydrl and chocolate, notwithstanding). I can't wait for the smiting to begin.

I'm not sure how widespread this is, but even isolated incidents should tell us something.

A Marine who had told authorities he had been shot while trying to help a stranded motorist has now admitted that he shot himself to avoid being shipped overseas.

The Anoka County sheriff's department said Wednesday that Adam Welter, 20, acknowledged the gunshot wound was self-inflicted. He was treated and released from a hospital Monday.


Welter was reportedly scheduled to ship out for Hawaii that day. He called an investigator Tuesday to take responsibility, said Capt. Robert Aldrich, a sheriff's department spokesman.

"He was extremely remorseful for this and the commotion he caused," Aldrich said. "I don't think he anticipated it would become as large a story as it did."

This story doesn't make a direct connection to Iraq or Afghanistan, and it doesn't have to. People will probably make that leap on their own. But to me that's not the main point. Three things stand out to me:

--The age of the man, 20.

--The fact that he wasn't being shipped to the Middle East but to Hawaii.

--The calculated risk of trying to injure yourself without killing yourself.

My biggest complaint about the military is that for so many young men and women it's the only place to go if you don't have money or opportunity but are looking for a way out. And when you're 18 it's always easier to see the benefits before the consequences. I keep thinking of people who collapsed under the pressure of college that first or second year because they weren't mentally prepared to simply make their own decisions. How do you mentally prepare for service and possible combat?

I remember toying with idea of joining Peace Corps and rejecting it because it was too daunting to face two years away from friends and family in extreme conditions. I don't consider myself any weaker for it. It's a lot to ask of a person.

We have a right to expect a lot of the Marines and other members of the armed forces. But how much do we understand what they face, even during times of peace? How ready were we to be on our own at 20?

UPDATE: I feel like I make this point alot, and this post was written hastily and not very well. But it bothers me, especially having family members nearly the same age as Walter serving in various parts of the military. And when the pro-war crowd gets all dewy eyed over our men and women overseas, I want to kick'em in the teeth for being such short-sighted hypocrites.

Dear PetitionOnline,

Re: your Boycott KB Toys For Misleading the Public About Bush's Military Record

I think you're missing the great potential for payback K•B Toys is providing. This doll has VOODOO written all over it. I can already imagine sticking pins in it, burning it in effigy, or giving it to the puppy as a chew toy. Just imagine hundreds of Bush dolls wearing orange jumpsuits, hanging from tiny nooses, or getting fried in mini-electric chairs, or just behind little prison bars. Maybe you could request that K•B Toys give a percentage of their profits from this particular doll to a veterans organization? I think there's a way to turn this around and still get the visceral satisfaction that would come from tearing it tiny inauthentic limb from tiny inauthentic limb.
Respectfully,

...if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord, George Bush to take

I'm with Sally Baron, the recently deceased woman whose obituary included:

'Memorials in her honor can be made to any organization working for the removal of President Bush.'

So please, please, please donate, sign petitions, (thanks to Ceds for that link) and do it in Sally's name.

Apparently assigning responsibility for the bombing of UN headquarters boils down to a massive game of Not It between Bremer and the Iraqi Governing Council.

The confrontation clearly reflected a growing American conviction that a greater and more visible Iraqi involvement in government might allay some hostility to the American-led occupation. Iraqi officials said the Council had responded by saying it lacked authority to convince Iraqis it was effective or relevant.

Iraqi Council members have repeatedly said they should be granted more authority over the police force."You can't blame for us anything," said Adnan Pachachi, a council member, in a recent interview. "We don't have any responsibility."

So what is the most troubling implication here? Not the loss of life, the worsening situation, the growing hostility. No, it's the fact that the US might be blamed instead of the Iraqis.

Concern was clearly widespread today among Western officials that Iraq could find itself in a political void. The memo prepared for Mr. Bremer suggests that American officials are concerned that in the aftermath of Tuesday's truck bombing, Iraq's leaders might appear disconnected from the tragedy.

These no-shit-Sherlock moments have elements of humor. Forgive me if I don't laugh.

Turns out some of the dumbest people on the planet are also evil. The evil-dumb combination appears to be something of an epidemic these days.

Poor man links to the site directly. Readers with a soul may want to take a pass on this one.

After quickly reviewing some of the major stories that I missed I’ve decided that I may need a bit more time to get reacclimated to the twilight zone that is American politics and media. Between Arnold and Gary Coleman, and Fox News and Al Franken I need another vacation. And it’s only Tuesday.

At least our sense of humor over hear on the left is still intact. Nice to see that Paul Newman is batting for our team once more.

And Joe’s book is out. I still have the read The Clinton Wars but Big Lies might come first anyway. Sorry Sid.

Well folks, I'm back. I was supposed to be back earlier but ended up getting diverted from JFK to Logan Airport which set me back a day. Good old blackout. During my flight and my long wait in the security line I had a few thoughts regarding readiness and terrorism; thoughts that Herbert has articulated quite nicely.

The report I was reading when the power failed was issued less than two months ago and was titled, "Emergency Responders: Drastically Underfunded, Dangerously Unprepared."

The report acknowledged that some progress against terrorism has been made through the Department of Homeland Security and other federal, state and local institutions. But it said, "The United States has not reached a sufficient national level of emergency preparedness and remains dangerously unprepared to handle a catastrophic attack on American soil, particularly one involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents, or coordinated high-impact conventional means."

It's good to be home.

Today will be light blogging as I am playing catch up at my day job. Many thanks to Ceds, Red Rabbit, and the Professor. Hopefully they will stick around to fill in the gaps.

Even more Fair and Balanced

Ahnuld says "I am a bahbehwian," in oh so many ways. Or as Ceds said, "ewwwwww...he's a dirty old man!" Thanks to the mighty Atrios for that link. Doesn't Ahnuld have an agent who can tell him that he wouldn't even make the short list for the role of governor in an open or closed casting call? And doesn't he make Clinton look like a choir boy?

And in answer to my first question the Washington Post is kicking 'em to the curb.

It was not just 16 words. It was every word concerning Iraq's nuclear weapons program in George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union speech.

Fair and Balanced

that would be me.

Ok, so I gave Kodiak an ice cube to play with -- that should keep him busy for a good ten minutes. I'm floating on antibiotics, that super extreme Benadryl and chocolate chip cookies, in case this post makes too much sense. Is anyone still talking about the lies that got us into this mess? Anyone moving toward impeaching the rodeo clown? (And by the way, I don't think the extra five lbs is muscle--it looks like a gut with handles to me)

With "reservations coming in a at a fast clip," for the Bush doll, I don't think the voodoo angle is so far fetched. Will it drink and wet and its pants? Actually, that would make it authentic.

Will wonders never cease? Apparently Fox News owns the phrase "Fair & Balanced" (I know, I know--stop giggling) and is suing Al Franken over its use.
Can we sue Fox for false advertising? I'm having a hard time remembering the last time they presented the "fair and balanced" news...

We Stand Our Ground

Check out the keynote address delivered at the Veterans for Peace National Convention in San Francisco on August 10 by Williams River Pitt.

If the American people fully knew what this war in Iraq was really about, if they fully knew what it means today to be a soldier in that part of the world, they would tear the White House apart brick by brick. If the people had but a taste of the horror and the lies, they would repudiate this administration and all it stands for. They don't know, because they have been fed a glutton's diet of misinformation and fraud. Changing that is why we are here...

...When you stare into the obsidian darkness of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, it stares back at you. The stone of the monument is jet black, but polished so that you must face your own reflected eyes should you dare to read the names inscribed there. You are not alone in that place.

You stand shoulder to shoulder with the dead, and when those names shine out around and above and below the person you see in that stone, you become their graveyard. Your responsibility to those names, simply, is to remember.

Remember what that dream, that idea that is America, is supposed to be. Never forget it. Never let your children forget. Hand it down, generation after generation, because it is the most valuable heirloom we all possess. If we lose it, we have lost everything...

...This cause is my heart's beat. It is yours. May it be there for all time, until that day comes when we can, once again, stand in awe and pride before our flag and our government and our nation, when we can once again revel in the rescued dream that is America.

Until then we are at the barricades, and on the streets, and in the faces of all those who would spend the precious blood of our men and women on lies and profit and greed. The obsidian darkness of that memorial demands this of us. The golden ideals of this nation demand this of us. The laws of our forefathers demand this of us. Most importantly, we demand this of ourselves.

If I could distract you from Kobe and Ahnuld for a moment? The Sydney Morning Herald reported US forces using napalm in Iraq on March 24th and the Pentagon responded thusly:

Your story ('Dead bodies everywhere', by Lindsay Murdoch, March 22, 2003) claiming US forces are using napalm in Iraq, is patently false. The US took napalm out of service in the early 1970s. We completed destruction of our last batch of napalm on April 4, 2001, and no longer maintain any stocks of napalm. - Jeff A. Davis, Lieutenant Commander, US Navy, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense.

But by "took napalm out of service" they meant "we renamed it".


Family shot dead by panicking US troops. Bush, et al, have made murderers out of our young enlisted. They'll return soulless and bitter, or in bodybags.