BUSH....THE JOKE

First came DUBYA...THE MOVIE!

Now we proudly present BUSH....THE JOKE!

Brought to you by the lovely Tina at Fuzzy And Blue:

A Bush Joke... or a Joke= Bush... to lift the spirit

"Pix courtesy of NegativeSpin.Com. And I never realized how the words Bush and joke are practically interchangable. But anyhoo, let's lighten our spirits w/laughter shall we?"


Hat-tip and a big THANK YOU to Tina and Qu at Daily Kos.

IS HHS SEC. MICHAEL LEAVITT ON THE WAY OUT?

He might be.

From Tim Grieve in the War Room at Salon:

Mikey, meet Brownie

From the "Watch Your Back" Department, Dan Froomkin points us to what George W. Bush said Thursday about Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, who has presided over the bungled rollout of the Medicare prescription drug plan: "He's doing a heck of a job, he really is."

IS HUGO CHAVEZ A DANGER TO THE REGION?

As far as I'm concerned, not nearly as much as Bush is to stability in the Middle East and the rest of the world.

From the BBC:

US warns against Chavez 'danger'

Ms Rice deplored Venezuela's close relations with Cuba

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is one of the biggest dangers facing Latin America, Washington has said.

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said Mr Chavez was trying to influence others away from democracy, and called for a united front against him.

President Chavez responded by accusing the US of aggression, saying "world opinion is with Venezuela".

The exchange would appear to undermine recent efforts to improve increasingly strained ties between the two states.

Low point

Addressing a congressional hearing on Thursday, Ms Rice accused Mr Chavez of leading a "Latin brand of populism that has taken countries down the drain".

[The US has] tried for some years to isolate us, to block us. They've failed and they will fail because they are wrong Hugo Chavez

She described Venezuela's close relationship with Cuba as "particularly dangerous".

"The international community has just got to be much more active in supporting and defending the Venezuelan people," she said.

The Venezuelan president dismissed Ms Rice's comments as "crazy".

"Could it be true what the people in the street are saying? That Chavez is driving [US officials] crazy?" he said.

"[The US has] tried for some years to isolate us, to block us. They've failed and they will fail because they are wrong."

On Tuesday, US and Venezuelan diplomats held talks in Washington, which were welcomed by both sides as a step towards greater communication.

Earlier this month, relations hit a new low when Washington expelled a Venezuelan diplomat in retaliation for the expulsion of the US naval attache.

Mr Chavez accuses the Bush administration of trying to orchestrate his removal, a charge denied by Washington.

Here's a few more links to what other news sources are saying:

Reuters US pursues 'inoculation' strategy to curb Chavez

ABCNEWS.com Chavez Calls U.S. Foreign Policy 'Crazy'

CNN Venezuela lauds envoy booted from U.S

Boston Globe* Caracas seeks UN Security Council seat, irking US

IF YOU THINK BAGHDAD WAS FUN, WAIT TIL WE GET TO TERHRAN

The Bush administration is doing everything it can to push the envelope and get us into a full scale war with Iran. Remember, Bush is your War President.

From Aljazeera News:

Rice: Iran is global terror 'banker'
The Iranian government is a "central banker" for global terrorism and working with Syria to destablise the Middle East, the US Secretary of State has said. Speaking in testimony to the US Senate on Thursday, Condoleeza Rice signaled the US intention to step up the diplomatic offensive against Iran, saying the threat it posed went beyond its controversial nuclear programme.
Full Story

By using the same rhetoric that they used to start an illegal war with Iraq, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and the rest of the neocon fools are bound and determined to get us into a full blown war with Iran.

I am ashamed of many of my fellow Americans who continue to by into the lies that this administration continues to spew forth. WAKE UP PEOPLE, they are trying to destroy this country.

96-3...OR STANDING ALONE PLUS TWO

Sen. Russ Feingold's attempt at a fillibuster of the "fixes" to the Patriot Act were voted down in a maneuver by Senate majority leader Bill "The Fascist" Frist.

There were only two Senators who stood with Feingold; Jim Jeffords, I-VT, and Robert Byrd, D-W.VA. Just where the hell were all the other Democrats who call themselves progressives? I know where they were...hiding under their desks like the scared pussies that they are. They are afraid to stand up to Bush and the Republicans...they don't want to appear unpatriotic, which is just what they are doing by voting against our rights and liberties.

From the Janesville Gazette, a local daily:

Patriot Act moves ahead despite Feingold's continued opposition

...and from the LA Times via the Freedom of Future Foundation:

Patriot Gamesmanship
Editorial
Los Angeles Time

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF ELMER FUDD

Vice President Elmer Fudd is sure he has explained away his shooting of his "friend" and hunting partner. The Emperor Chimp believes every word he has said...DO YOU?

From Salon 02/16/06:

McClellan: Bush is OK with Cheney explanation, and you should be, too
The White House press secretary doesn't answer questions about alcohol use.

Noonan: This could be the end for Dick Cheney
Former Reagan and Bush I speechwriter lays out the exit strategy.

Fourteen hours
What was the vice president doing when he wasn't telling the press that he'd shot Harry Whittington?

Don't make us answer that
Dick Cheney explains why he didn't notify the press that he'd shot a fellow hunter.

Don't make us answer that
Dick Cheney explains why he didn't notify the press that he'd shot a fellow hunter.

The GOP response: Cheney may be a victim, but he's making matters worse
Cheney may address the shooting in Wyoming Friday.

If you don't have a membership, you'll have to get a "Site Pass" for the day. It's easy and free.

STANDING ALONE....AGAIN!

I think that most of you know by now that Sen. Russ Feingold (D, WI) is about the only...if not the only...Democrat in the Senate who has had the cahonies to stand up to the corrupt Bush administration, and the rest of the Republicans, when it comes to our civil rights and liberties.

Russ is doing it again. He is the only Senator of either party who is taking a stand against the "revised" Patriot Act. He is attempting to fillibuster the "revised" Act but is getting no help from any other Democrats. In fact Harry Reid of Nevada, Richard Durbin of Illinois, and Dianne Feinstein of California have all said that they will vote for the extensions in the "revised" version of the Patriot Act.

Here is the article from one of the local daily papers:

WASHINGTON - In a case of legislative deja vu, Sen. Russell Feingold launched another lonely filibuster against the USA Patriot Act, but sponsors predicted enough support to overcome the objection and extend parts of the law set to expire March 10.

Feingold, D-Wis., said protracted talks with the White House over the law's protections for civil liberties produced only a "fig leaf" to cover weaknesses that leave people vulnerable to government intrusion.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said he had the 60 votes required to overcome Feingold's filibuster, as soon as this week. He agreed, though, that any revisions to a House-Senate accord blocked last year were "cosmetic.

"But sometimes cosmetics will make a beauty out of a beast and provide enough cover for senators to change their vote," Specter told reporters Wednesday.

Indeed, the filibuster seemed doomed. No Democrats were expected to join Feingold, according to officials of both parties. Several senior senators of his party have said they would vote for the bill, including Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Richard Durbin of Illinois.

Still, Feingold said the new version provided only a modest new protection for civil liberties.

"What we are seeing is quite simply a capitulation to the intransigent and misleading rhetoric of a White House that sees any effort to protect civil liberties as a sign of weakness," Feingold said during a floor speech Wednesday that kicked off his latest filibuster.

To the contrary, says virtually every other senator, years of talks over the expiring 16 provisions of the terrorism-fighting law have produced tighter limits on government power when compared to the original version that was passed a few weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks.

"In an effort like this, no party ever gets everything that they want," said Sen. John Sununu, R-N.H., who sided with Feingold last year when Democrats and a handful of Republicans blocked a GOP House-Senate renewal of the provisions. If not renewed, the 16 provisions of the original Patriot Act expire March 10.

This year, Sununu and Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, led talks with the White House in recent weeks that produced the compromise now being considered on the Senate floor.

Sununu and Craig argue that the new compromise makes several improvements to the law's civil liberties protections over previous versions.

For example, recipients of court-approved subpoenas for information in terrorist investigations would have the right to challenge a requirement that they refrain from telling anyone. Another new protection would remove a requirement that an individual provide the FBI with the name of an attorney consulted about a National Security Letter, which is a demand for records issued by administrators.

A third improvement, supporters say, makes clear that most libraries are not subject to National Security Letter demands for information about suspected terrorists.

But Feingold said the new deal only makes one, modest, improvement over the House-Senate compromise and current law: The deal makes clear that there would be judicial review of "gag orders" issued with court-ordered subpoenas for information, but sets several conditions. Under one, the review can only take place after a year and requires the recipient of the order to prove that the government has acted in bad faith, Feingold said.

"That is a virtually impossible standard to meet," he said. "What we have here is the illusion of judicial review."

Senior members of his party, including Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Richard Durbin of Illinois and Dianne Feinstein of California, have said they will vote for the new deal.


Russ will be on TV tonight:

From George Aldrich at Progressive Patriots Fund.

"Russ is going to be on the season premiere of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher tomorrow, February 17, at 10 PM CT (Encore presentation on Monday, February 20, at 7 PM CT). He'll talk to Bill on a variety of topics including the latest on the PATRIOT Act."

"On that issue, please be sure to check out the latest op-ed from Russ over at salon.com. He discusses the bad Patriot Act "deal" that a number of Democrats have agreed to and asks the question: "If Democrats aren't going to stand up to an executive who disdains the other branches of government and doesn't worry about trampling on the rights of innocent Americans, what do we stand for?" It's really good so please take a look."

The letter Russ has at Salon is well worth the read. You may have to watch a very brief ad, but that doesn't take long. While you're at it, why not visit Progressive Patriots Fund web site and see what they're all about.

TEXAS SHERIFF NOT ALLOWED TO INTERVIEW ELMER FUDD AFTER SHOOTING INCIDENT

What the fuck! Just because the guy is the veep the cops don't get to talk to him about why he shot someone?

From Buzz Flash:

Texas Sheriff Barred From Interviewing Cheney About Shooting Incident 2/14

More questions over delay in reporting the Cheney shooting. Did they need 24 hours to smooth over the truth? 2/13

"Of course, the question is not whether the Secret Service informed law enforcement, but whether law enforcement was permitted to speak with Cheney. As Talk Left notes, although the incident was an accident, it could constitute criminal negligence."

Be sure you read the Talk Left link above. You'll have to page down for the full post.

BUSH PREPARING TO "BLOW UP" IRAN

From The Telegraph via Information Clearing House:

US prepares military blitz against Iran's nuclear sites

By Philip Sherwell in Washington

02/12/06 "The Telegraph" -- -- Strategists at the Pentagon are drawing up plans for devastating bombing raids backed by submarine-launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran's nuclear sites as a "last resort" to block Teheran's efforts to develop an atomic bomb.

Central Command and Strategic Command planners are identifying targets, assessing weapon-loads and working on logistics for an operation, the Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

They are reporting to the office of Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, as America updates plans for action if the diplomatic offensive fails to thwart the Islamic republic's nuclear bomb ambitions. Teheran claims that it is developing only a civilian energy programme.

"This is more than just the standard military contingency assessment," said a senior Pentagon adviser. "This has taken on much greater urgency in recent months."

The prospect of military action could put Washington at odds with Britain which fears that an attack would spark violence across the Middle East, reprisals in the West and may not cripple Teheran's nuclear programme. But the steady flow of disclosures about Iran's secret nuclear operations and the virulent anti-Israeli threats of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has prompted the fresh assessment of military options by Washington. The most likely strategy would involve aerial bombardment by long-distance B2 bombers, each armed with up to 40,000lb of precision weapons, including the latest bunker-busting devices. They would fly from bases in Missouri with mid-air refuelling.

The Bush administration has recently announced plans to add conventional ballistic missiles to the armoury of its nuclear Trident submarines within the next two years. If ready in time, they would also form part of the plan of attack.

Teheran has dispersed its nuclear plants, burying some deep underground, and has recently increased its air defences, but Pentagon planners believe that the raids could seriously set back Iran's nuclear programme.

Iran was last weekend reported to the United Nations Security Council by the International Atomic Energy Agency for its banned nuclear activities. Teheran reacted by announcing that it would resume full-scale uranium enrichment - producing material that could arm nuclear devices.

The White House says that it wants a diplomatic solution to the stand-off, but President George W Bush has refused to rule out military action and reaffirmed last weekend that Iran's nuclear ambitions "will not be tolerated".

Sen John McCain, the Republican front-runner to succeed Mr Bush in 2008, has advocated military strikes as a last resort. He said recently: "There is only only one thing worse than the United States exercising a military option and that is a nuclear-armed Iran."

Senator Joe Lieberman, a Democrat, has made the same case and Mr Bush is expected to be faced by the decision within two years.

By then, Iran will be close to acquiring the knowledge to make an atomic bomb, although the construction will take longer. The President will not want to be seen as leaving the White House having allowed Iran's ayatollahs to go atomic.

In Teheran yesterday, crowds celebrating the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution chanted "Nuclear technology is our inalienable right" and cheered Mr Ahmadinejad when he said that Iran may reconsider membership of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

He was defiant over possible economic sanctions.

CHENEY SHOOTS MAN INSTEAD OF BIRD

Let's here it for the NRA. Rah-rah, sis-boom-bah!
Yeh you fucking morons, let's put a gun in the hands of every incompotent bastard in the country. That way we won't have to send anyone to Iraq to get shot up.

From the AP via Yahoo:

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot and injured a man during a weekend quail hunting trip in Texas, his spokeswoman said Sunday.

Harry Whittington, 78, was "alert and doing fine" after Cheney sprayed Whittington with shotgun pellets on Saturday at the Armstrong Ranch in south Texas, said property owner Katharine Armstrong.

Armstrong said Cheney turned to shoot a bird and accidentally hit Whittington. She said Whittington was taken to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital by ambulance.

Cheney's spokeswoman, Lea Anne McBride, said the vice president was with Whittington, a lawyer from Austin, Texas, and his wife at the hospital on Sunday afternoon.

Hey, Cheney, if ya can't aim or shoot what you're supposed to maybe you shouldn't go hunting. Too bad the pacemaker didn't quit when the gun went off.
Maybe it's a good thing he didn't serve in 'Nam, we would have had more casualties then we did.

UPDATE: New name for Cheney...Elmer Fudd!

DUBYA...THE MOVIE

Earl Bockenfeld left this link in a comment he posted at Tina's Fuzzy And Blue...who by the way is celebrating her first anniversary of blogging.

Don Knotts as Dubya

Ya gotta see this, it's funnier than hell.

Hat-tip to Earl for the link.
Thanks, pal.

ARROGANT LYING FASCISTS

Patriotism to country does not matter to them. Only patriotism to what they want counts.

Smoking Dutch Cleanser

Go see Gordon at Alternate Brain.

Maureen Dowd lets go on Bushco and their bullshit.

CAN'T TRUST A LIAR

I don't know about anyone else, but I just can't trust someone who has lied to me...especially when that person lies constantly.

From Buzz Flash this morning:

The former CIA official charged with managing the U.S. government's secret intelligence assessments on Iraq says the Bush administration chose war first and then misleadingly used raw data to assemble a public case for its decision to invade. What More Will It Take to Save America From This Administration That Betrays the U.S.A.

Remember "Total Information Awareness"? You didn't really think the Bush regime had a pang of constitutionality and canceled it, do you? Hint: it's now called "Topsail"

NYT: "We can't think of a president who has gone to the American people more often than George W. Bush has to ask them to forget about things like democracy, judicial process and the balance of powers — and just trust him. We also can't think of a president who has deserved that trust less." 2/12

You may have to be registered to read the article from the Chicago Tribune...which is the first one... but that prossess doesn't take long.

There is also this letter to Porter Goss from Sibel Edmonds
A Proud National Security Whistleblower:

BuzzFlash Exclusive: Sibel Edmonds on Porter Goss' Op-ed: 'Ignoturn per Ignotius'! And Since Mr. Cheney Authorized Scooter Libby to Disclose Classified Information, Shouldn't Mr. Goss be Asking for Cheney to be Prosecuted?

SO WE'RE THE ENEMY?

From the Chicago Tribune:

U.S. Concludes 'Cyber Storm' Mock Attacks

By TED BRIDIS
Associated Press Writer
Published February 10, 2006, 7:37 PM CST

WASHINGTON -- The government concluded its "Cyber Storm" wargame Friday, its biggest-ever exercise to test how it would respond to devastating attacks over the Internet from anti-globalization activists, underground hackers and bloggers.

Bloggers?

Participants confirmed parts of the worldwide simulation challenged government officials and industry executives to respond to deliberate misinformation campaigns and activist calls by Internet bloggers, online diarists whose "Web logs" include political rantings and musings about current events.

The Internet survived, even against fictional abuses against the world's computers on a scale typical for Fox's popular "24" television series. Experts depicted hackers who shut down electricity in 10 states, failures in vital systems for online banking and retail sales, infected discs mistakenly distributed by commercial software companies and critical flaws discovered in core Internet technology.

Some mock attacks were aimed at causing a "significant cyber disruption" that could seriously damage energy, transportation and health care industries and undermine public confidence, said George Foresman, an undersecretary at the Homeland Security Department.

There was no impact on the real Internet during the weeklong exercise. Government officials from the United States, Canada, Australia and England and executives from Microsoft, Cisco, Verisign and others said they were careful to simulate attacks only using isolated computers, working from basement offices at the Secret Services headquarters in downtown Washington.

The Homeland Security Department promised a full report on results from the exercise by summer.

Foresman likened his agency's role during any Internet attack to an orchestra conductor, coordinating responses from law enforcement, intelligence agencies, the military and private firms. The government's goal is a "symphony of preparedness," Foresman said.

Homeland Security coordinated the exercise. More than 115 government agencies, companies and organizations participated. They included the White House National Security Council, Justice Department, Defense Department, State Department, National Security Agency and CIA, which conducted its own cybersecurity exercise called "Silent Horizon" last May.

An earlier cyberterrorism exercise called "Livewire" for Homeland Security and other federal agencies concluded there were serious questions over government's role during a cyberattack depending on who was identified as the culprit -- terrorists, a foreign government or bored teenagers.

It also questioned whether the U.S. government would be able to detect the early stages of such an attack without significant help from private technology companies.

Hat-tip to Fixer at Alternate Brain for the heads-up.

THE FLU BUG BITES....HARD

I've been pretty lucky, haven't had the flu for almost ten years. Did all that time without any flu shots...so I thought I'd be safe again this year. Besides, the powers that be didn't make sure there were enough vaccines produced...so I decided to pass again this year so someone older than me, or a young child, could get the protection of immunization.

Luck ran out this year. Started with a sore throat early Friday evening. Woke up Saturday morning with full sinuses and a headache. I thought at first I would be able to get by with just a head cold...which I usually get about this time every year...but no, I had to get hit with the real thing...the flu.

From the full sinuses and headache I progressed to bodyaches and chills. Sore shoulders, stiff neck, and aching knees. Just wonderful!

I haven't had to miss work of any kind for a number of years because of being ill. Looks like I might miss work Monday, though.

Looks like Mary may have the flu now, too. She woke up with a sore throat and runny nose this morning. We'll have to see how the day developes for her.

All I/we can do now is try to ride it out the best we can. Lots of fluids and lots of rest.

Take care everyone. I hope all of you don't get this...if ya do, just hunker down and ride it out.

Update: Starting to feel a little bit better now, but that may not last...I think we all know how that one works. Mary's sore throat is gone, but now the body aches have kicked in along with that tired feeling. She's taking a nap right now...hopefully she'll feel a little better when she gets up.
I realized something today,too....just how many posts I can put up when I don't feel like doing anything else.

STOP WAR WITH IRAN NOW

Bush and the neocons have been planning for war with Iran almost as long as they did for war with Iraq.

From Information Clearing House:

The Urgency of Now: Stopping the War on Iran

By Mike Kress

02/10/06 "ICH" -- -- “Last winter, former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter revealed that George Bush asked for an Iran war plan ready to use by June of 2005. Seymour Hersh, writing for the New Yorker, has reported for some time about US covert operations in Iran. Today we are told that war in Iran is inevitable by the same observers who warned us about the cooked-up war in Iraq.

Evidently, the neo-conservatives who control the US government decided to wage war against Iran long ago.

The neo-cons will use their tool at the UN, Ambassador John Bolton, to help create an international crisis and thereby justify attacks on Iran. Though there’s no evidence to prove that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, Iran’s refusal to halt its lawful nuclear programs will become the pretext for America’s next unnecessary war. Continued


These fools in the WH and DOD must be stopped. If they aren't, not only will our troops be subject to a bloodbath in Iraq and other muslim countries where they are stationed, but American citizens in those same countries will be subjected to the same bloodbath. On top of that there will be hundreds of thousands...possibly millions...of innocent Iranians who will die needlessly.

BLOGGER PROBLEMS....DELETED POST

I had put a post up yesterday, 02/11/06, that Blogger had some problems with the script. I think part of the problem was the links I had in the post. Whatever the problem was it caused Firefox to load the post slowly and ME didn't want to load it at all.

I have since deleted the post, which was titled WAR AT HOME. If you would like to read the article which I linked to, titled Class war USA, you can go to Socialist Worker Online to find it. You should be able to get to it from the linkbelow, also:
http://www.socialistworker.org/2006-1/575/575_06_ClassWarUSA.shtml

Very informative article, well worth the read.

Sorry for any problems anyone had loading this Blog while the errant post was up.

SO, YOU WANT A GOVERNMENT JOB? WELL...HERE YOU GO

Salon has a link to a job posting for a government job vacancy.

Help wanted: Protector of civil liberties

A Salon reader alerts us to this "help wanted" posting at USAJOBS, the official job site of the U.S. government:

Assistant civil liberties protection officer: "The Civil Liberties Protection Officer assists the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in ensuring that the protection of civil liberties and privacy is appropriately incorporated in the policies and procedures developed for and implemented by the ODNI and the elements of the intelligence community (IC) within the National Intelligence Program, and in performing other statutory and assigned duties."

Among the assistant's duties: "Develop or recommend changes to policies and procedures to protect privacy and civil liberties ... oversee compliance by the ODNI with legal requirements relating to civil liberties and privacy ... ensure reporting and related requirements are met relating to civil liberties and privacy ... review and assess complaints of possible abuses of civil liberties and privacy in the administration of ODNI programs and operations, and as appropriate, investigate any such complaint or information ... ensure that the use of technologies sustain, and do not erode, privacy protections relating to the use, collection, and disclosure of personal information ... conduct communication and outreach initiatives on behalf of the ODNI on civil liberties and privacy issues ... [and] congressional relations and public affairs coordination with media outlets and civil liberties and privacy advocacy groups."

Applications are due by Feb. 28, but there's probably no need to rush. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 created the position of civil liberties protection officer within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Bush signed the act into law in December 2004, but he didn't name anyone to fill that post until December 2005.

-- Tim Grieve