Scholars of Twang Track All the "Y'Alls" in Texas

"Texans for the most part no longer pray to the 'Lard,' replacing the 'o' with an 'a,' or 'warsh' their clothes. How the interloping 'r' crept in remains an especially intriguing question, Dr. Bailey said. Trying to trace the peculiarity, he asked Texans to name the capital of the United States, often drawing the unhelpful answer 'Austin.'"

No comment necessary.

Contrast In Cleanup Underfoot In District (washingtonpost.com)

"'The city streets are spattered with unsightly and unhealthy gobs of chewing gum, which become ugly DIRTY black spots,' Bowden wrote. 'This makes the Nation's Capitol City look like a third world country.' "

Don't those Bubbas in D.C. know that they're supposed to stick used chewing gum under the tops of their school desks? Jeez louise!

Boursorama : EUR/USD Spot

The Dollar is sinking fast, which is bad news for the world economy.

CNN.com - Mystic's fast baffles doctors - Nov. 26, 2003

"India's Prahlad Jani, a 76-year-old Indian mystic, claims to have survived the past 68 years -- yes, years -- without eating, drinking or going to the toilet. "

This is almost as astounding as Bubba Bush's ability to "lead the nation" without delivering a single coherent policy.

Iraq Reconstruction Report

"Iraq Reconstruction Report will keep you abreast of potential opportunities with up-to-the minute details on reconstruction contracts from various governments and international organizations including subcontractor and supplier opportunities."

Lots of them opportunities in Iraq, as long as your name is Halliburton, Vodaphone or Bechtel!

HoustonChronicle.com : DeLay fighting redistricting challenge subpoena

"In their motion to quash, attorneys Bobby R. Burchfield of Washington and Jonathan D. Pauerstein of San Antonio said no court had ever compelled a member of Congress to submit to a deposition in a redistricting case.

'The opportunity to place members under oath and question them regarding their political strategy and that of their political party would provide a fertile field for abuse,' they said.

Burchfield and Pauerstein argued that DeLay's and Barton's testimony wasn't essential to the Democrats' suit."

Much like Bubba Bush, Bubba Delay feels that he is above the law.

ENN Affiliate News : Humankind's Closest Living Relatives on Brink of Extinction

"Twenty-five million dollars is urgently needed to lift the threat of imminent extinction from humankind's closest living relatives, delegates to an international crisis meeting on the great apes were told today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris."

If only we could lose the Homo Bubbien species instead.

washingtonpost.com: Krispy Kreme Plans To Open D.C. Store

"Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc., whose gooey glazed pastries have become one of America's best-known indulgences, signed a lease yesterday to open its first store in the District, according to the broker representing the North Carolina chain. "

Yeah, Bubba, let's go get us a buncha Krispy Kreme doughnuts. My tummy-tuck appointment is tomorrow!

Krugman: The Uncivil War


"The campaign against 'political hate speech' originates with the Republican National Committee. But last week the committee unveiled its first ad for the 2004 campaign, and it's as hateful as they come. 'Some are now attacking the president for attacking the terrorists,' it declares.

Again, there's that weasel word 'some.' No doubt someone doesn't believe that we should attack terrorists. But the serious criticism of the president, as the committee knows very well, is the reverse: that after an initial victory in Afghanistan he shifted his attention -- and crucial resources -- from fighting terrorism to other projects."

When will Paul mention that this kinda tactic, so prevalent in the current state of mainstream media, works mostly on Bubbas?

I'm waiting for Rebubbalican to become a household word! Remember, you saw it here first!

(Later post: Oops, I did find a reference here.

American Civil Liberties Union: ACLU Slams Classified FBI Memorandum Directing Law Enforcement to Engage in Protest Suppression Tactics

"“It is troubling that the FBI is advocating spying on peaceful protesters, but even protesters who engage in civil disobedience or other disruptive acts should not be treated like potential terrorists,” Romero said."

The found fathers ARE rolling over in their graves! Can there be a more un-American president than Bubba Bush?

(Thanks to cursor.)

The Victoria Advocate: Medicare bill fight brewing in Senate

"Despite the strenuous opposition, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein became the seventh Democrat to announce her intention to vote in favor of the measure. She said she would do so 'not because it's perfect, but because I believe it brings substantial help to people who need that help.'"

Bubba Feinstein is thinking of all the help that she will receive in campaign contributions from private medical corporations.

washingtonpost.com: Attack in N. Iraq Kills 2 Americans

"Assailants killed two U.S. soldiers riding in a civilian car Sunday in the northern city of Mosul and, in a bloody scene, crowds then reportedly mutilated their bodies, trashed the vehicles and made off with the soldiers' belongings."

I think that any Bubba would agree that when crowds of people mutilate your dead body that you probably haven't captured their hearts and minds. Once again, American soldiers with a heighted sense of duty have fallen victim to the sentiments generated by the illegal Bubba Bush wars.

Democrats Demand Bush Pull TV Ad Attacking Critics of Iraq Policy (washingtonpost.com)

"Democrats have been fuming at the RNC ad, which is airing in Iowa to coincide with the Democratic debate. Senate Democratic leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) called it 'repulsive and outrageous' and said Democrats oppose the way Bush has managed the situation in Iraq, not the war against terrorism. 'It's wrong. It's erroneous, and I think that they ought to pull the ad,' he said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.'

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) answered the RNC ad with one of his own, which will begin airing in Iowa on Monday, saying Americans are united in the war on terror. 'The problem is, you [Bush] declared 'mission accomplished' when you had no plan to win the peace and handed out billions in contracts to contributors like Halliburton,' an announcer says. "

Bubba Bush is counting on the Bubba factor help him push through to 2004.

Remember that the Bubba factor is a combination of outrageous lies delivered with naive sincerity, combined with Bubba-baiting symbols like: patriotism, defense, war on terror. The RNC will be using all of this to preempt legitimate attacks on the Bush administration's track record.

At the same time, the Re-Bubba-licans will be screaming about the "outrageous claims of the Democrats". That's a code-phrase for "legimate and cogent critiques" and all Bubbas know how to interpret it.

If all of this sounds like something out of 1984, well it's no surprise, especially seeing how the Re-Bubba-licans are using Orwell's classic as a guidebook in public relations. Big Hate politics (just say "French" to ignite a frenzied session of rabid frothing at the mouth) go along with Big Lies politics (Ignorance is Strength) to achieve that final destiny of Homeland Defense (War is Peace).

HoustonChronicle.com : Protesters in London denounce Bush

"Yet not everyone in London shared the anti-Bush sentiment. A poll published on Monday found that 43 percent of Britons welcomed the president's visit. One of those was Jonathan Goldblum, 61, who came down to watch the march and fell into heated debate with some of the protesters.

'A lot of people think George Bush is a cowboy, but he is not as bad as they make out,' Goldblum said. 'If you look around the world, 90 percent of the leaders are a lot worse.' "

Would Bubba Goldblum include Ariel Sharon in the 90%?

One thing is for sure: Bubba Bush has managed to make Jacques Chirac extremely popular in Europe and worldwide. It takes a guy like Bush to make you appreciate Chirac!

FT.com : More Banality of Evil


Canada on Thursday said it was not involved in a decision by the US to deport to Syria a Canadian who US authorities suspected was a terrorist in an issue that has strained ties between the two neighbouring countries.

[...]

"[...] Mr Martin said: 'The US has clearly said that any decision they made with respect to [Mr] Arar was a decision they arrived at independently based on information they got from a whole host of sources.'

Asked whether the Canadian government was aware of the US decision to deport Mr Arar before the deportation took place, Mr Graham said: 'We had consular access to Mr Arar but we were informed by his lawyer on the Monday morning that she had come into her office and there was a message on her [telephone answering] machine saying Mr Arar had been deported that night to Syria and she had not been advised, and we had not been advised.'"


Here you go, folks. Take a Canadian, call him a "terror suspect", ship him to Syria to be tortured. That's American democracy and statesmanship at work today, thanks to the Bubba Bush administration.

Dean for America: Enron Economics

"If our country is so rich, why am I barely getting by? If our country is so strong, why are we being made to feel so afraid? If our country is so powerful, why do I feel so powerless?"

If our country is so smart, why did so many Bubbas vote for Bush in '2000? Even if they weren't a majority, who was there even close to a majority?

FT.com: Bush tries to pre-empt protesters

"But the ideological thrust of Mr Bush's speech was an explanation of the core principles at the heart of his foreign policy. The US president referred to three pillars of US foreign policy: first a commitment to international organisations such as the United Nations and Nato; second, a belief that 'when the last resort arrives' free nations need to use force to restrain aggression and evil; and that the 'global expansion of democracy is the ultimate force in rolling back terrorism and tyranny'."

That's true BubbaLogic: say one thing in the US, say another in the UK and expect that no one will connect the dots.

First: Bush vilified the UN and Nato in the US. The blatant subtext of this vilification: if the UN and Nato don't do exactly as the US commands, the hell with them.

Second: The invasion of Iraq was on the drawing board even before 9/11. It was the first resort and certainly not the last.

Third: Bush is actively destroying democracy worldwide and especially in the US. Patriot II is a clear demonstration of this principle of destroying democracy.

Boston.com: In IKEA we trust, Swedes tell pollsters

"Swedes trust IKEA, purveyor of affordable assemble-yourself furniture and Swedish meatballs in 22 countries, more than their own government, politicians, media or trade unions, according to a new poll.

The only institutions they respect more than the creators of the Billy bookcase are schools and universities, the survey showed Wednesday."

This Europe-based former-Bubba could not agree more!

CRN.com: SCO To Fork Over $9M To David Boies And His Legal Eagles

"The SCO Group will pay nearly $9 million to its legal eagles at Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP to continue its Linux fight against IBM and others."

I'm wishing David Boies just as much legal success in his SCO venture as he had defending Al Gore's position on the Florida vote recount before the US Supreme Court.

NYTimes.com: Bush in London With a Message for Critics

"Mr. Bush's schedule is dominated by the kind of pomp he typically disdains, most notably an official welcome ceremony with Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday morning and a state dinner on Wednesday night, where he will wear tails (which, he was quick to point out to several interviewers last week, he had to rent)."

Is this kinda hogwash believable? Does anyone really believe that Bush can't buy a tux? The USA sends 250 secret servicement to the UK for a state visit and the US President has to rent a tux?

FT.com: Bush Visit to UK

"George W. Bush landed in the UK on Tuesday evening to start the first state visit by a US president in more than 80 years as estimates of the size of a protest march on Thursday jumped to more than 100,000."

Hey Bubba, those brits are our "friends"!

FOXNews.com

"In a blow to Iraq's U.S.-led administration, officials on Monday announced the resignation of an Italian coalition official, who accused the occupation authorities of incompetence.

'The provisional authority simply doesn't work,' the Italian daily Corriere della Sera quoted Marco Calamai, a special counselor of the Coalition Provisional Authority as saying. 'It's neither fish nor fowl. Reconstruction projects that were promised and financed have had practically no results.' "

Hey Bubba Bush! Even the Italians are complaining now and FauxNews is writing about it.

HoustonChronicle.com: Rice baseball champs a hit at White House

"A day at the White House for Rice University's national championship baseball team Monday might have been just as memorable if hosted by a president who didn't know a sacrifice bunt from a double steal.

But in President Bush, the team met a fan as well as a chief executive, the players said after an afternoon at the White House full of pomp and ceremony.

'He told us he watched every inning of the (College World Series) games,' said Chris Kolkhorst, 21, the Owls' left fielder. 'With everything else that the country is involved in right now, that was amazing.' "

You have to wonder how Bubba Bush finds the time for keeping up with College basebase. Two thoughts come to mind: (1) It could be another Bubba Bush lie. (2) That could explain the dismal performance of the Bush administration on the economy, foreign affairs and environmental issues.

Yahoo.com: Mexican UN ambassador removed after criticizing US

"According to the Mexican news agency Notimex and some newspapers, Zinser told a university audience that the United States wanted a 'relationship of convenience and subordination' with Mexico.

The United States does not regard Mexico in the same way it does European nations, he reportedly said, adding: 'It sees us as a backyard.'
Last week, Powell slammed the ambassador's remarks as 'outrageous.'"

For Bubba Colin, it is outrageous to speak one's true sentiments, no matter how well they may be grounded in fact.

WashingtonPost.com: Violence Claims 2 U.S. Soldiers, 3 Iraqis at Market

"In Baghdad, a U.S. patrol opened fire at the gun market, said a witness and Iraqi police Maj. Ali Rykan. The three dead included an 11-year-old boy. Four other people were wounded, hospital and police officials said.

The incident, along with a U.S. sweep for weapons in the same middle-class neighborhood overnight, provoked anger among Iraqis."

Yeah, Bubba! That's how to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis!

CNN.com: 'Dirty bomb' suspect appeals detention

"Padilla has never been charged with a crime, and the government has blocked his lawyers from having access to him.

'He's hasn't been allowed to defend himself. That's what we do in America. We give people -- no matter what they're accused of -- we give them their day in court,' said Andrew Patel, one of Padilla's attorneys.

'Never before in our history has an American president claimed the power to be able to detain without charge and indefinitely an American citizen in a civilian setting,' Patel said. "

That's how a Bubba president upholds the US Constitution -- by ignoring it!

vnunet.com: Gates goes Matrix at Comdex

"'As we move forward, we've got to get the fundamentals right. One of those is trustworthy computing,' he said.

'We've got to give the IT department the assurance that [their software] will be reliable and secure without spending the man-hours they do today on patching. It's quite a challenge for all of us in the industry to meet, but it's way do-able.'"

That right, Bubba Billy, it's doable! So why isn't it already done?

washingtonpost.com: U.S. Isolates Hussein's Birthplace

"Three days later, Auja had become, in effect, a reverse 'strategic hamlet': Instead of forcing peasants into new villages surrounded by barbed wire to separate them from insurgents, as U.S. forces had done during the Vietnam War, Russell encircled an existing village with barbed wire to keep the wealthy insurgents inside and under control. "

"Insurgent" may become the new watchword, next to "militant", replacing "pinko" or "commie" in the post cold war.

HoustonChronicle.com: Top Iraqi scientist in Iran, U.S. says

"The Iraqi scientist who headed Saddam Hussein's long-range missile program has fled to neighboring Iran, a country identified as a state sponsor of terrorism with a successful missile program and nuclear ambitions, U.S. officers involved in the weapons hunt told The Associated Press. "

The drumbeat of war. Boom boom boom!

Yahoo! News - Schwarzenegger in Hawaii: Luau or Labor?

"For many days, aides have portrayed California Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger as hard at work in meetings on his new administration which takes office on Monday.

It turns out that the actor and his wife Maria Shriver have been vacationing in Hawaii with their four children, a person close to the family told Reuters. "

Governor Total (Don't) Recall is simply following Bubba W's leadership style.

washingtontimes.com: U.N. nuclear report 'impossible to believe'

"A report by U.N. investigators that they have found no evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program 'is simply impossible to believe,' Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton said yesterday.

He said Iran has enriched uranium with both centrifuges and lasers and has produced and reprocessed plutonium. "


Do even Bubbas trust the Bush administration these days?

NationalJournal.com: The French Were Right (11/07/2003)

"Let's just say this at the start, since this is the beginning, not the end, of the discussion about how to grapple with the post-9/11 world (and because it's the grown-up, big-man thing to do): The French were right. Let's say it again: The French -- yes, those 'cheese-eatin' surrender monkeys,' as their detractors in the United States so pungently called them -- were right. "

The article for those non-Bubbas who are following the FrancoPhile renaissance in America.

WashingtonPost.com: How Do You Say 'I Told You So' in French?

"Just eight months after French Fries were banished from the congressional cafeteria, the newly-launched French Congressional Caucus, already has picked up 25 members, including Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Joe Biden (D-Del.). With cheerful malice, Jarreau writes that the French caucus 'is one of the most chic clubs' in Washington. "

FOXNews.com - Politics - Congressional French Caucus

"'It was sort of a reaction to the current state of U.S.-French relations,' said Bob Van Wicklin, spokesman for Rep. Amo Houghton, R-N.Y., who announced he was chairing the new caucus in October. Nearly 35 members have signed on — not to be apologists, said Van Wicklin, but to foster common interests in foreign issues, including trade and social policy. "

Quite an enlightened view for a Republican.

MSNBC.com The cost of training Iraqi police

"According to the help-wanted notice on DynCorp’s Web site, the company will pay as much as $153,600 for senior people in Iraq for one year. On top of that, they get all their living expenses, and most of their salary is tax-free — a package that will cost taxpayers as much as $400,000 to put each trainer in Iraq. "

I'm starting to understand why the police officer in Victoria, Texas was leaving his post to go work for Dyncorp in Iraq. It wasn't so much "call of duty" as the "seduction of money". Understandable, but at taxpayer's expense, is this reasonable?

vicad.com: Ron Paul Speaks on Veterans' Day

"On the subject of the United Nations, Paul said the nation's founding fathers were 'very clear about advising us about not getting involved in entangling alliances with other nations and not getting involved in the internal affairs of other nations.'

He said America's leaders have tended to neglect that advice and have 'taken orders' from the United Nations. Too often the result, he said, is that young Americans lose their lives in faraway lands."

Now here's a real Bubba-ism from my home town. It's a strange one.

You see, Ron Paul was one of the few people in Congress to vote against approving war powers to Bush for the Iraq invastion. My Mom mentioned folks at cocktail parties aggressing her with "Can you believe that Ron Paul? He voted against war!"

So here you might think that Ron Paul is a smart guy with a clearer vision than the Bubba Bush cronies. But no! In his veteran's day address in Victoria, Bubba Paul tries to spin the war dead on the United Nations. Doesn't that beat all!

If, to the contrary, the US had found consensus in the UN instead of going against the vast majority of world opinion, the US soldiers wouldn't be the sitting ducks that they are now. Americans wouldn't be asking themselves "why did my government lie to me about the Iraq menace?" Clearly, it was a moment for world consensus. Instead, the US has squandered every bit of positive world sentiment that it enjoyed after 9/11.

These soldiers are dying because Bush chose to invade Iraq illegally. Isn't that itself a reason to support the UN today?

swisspolitics.org | Jessica Lynch rape allegations dismissed

"A rocket-propelled grenade attack on Lynch's Humvee military vehicle on March 23 left her with a broken leg, arm and ankle and a gash across her head. Eleven other soldiers were killed in the attack in which the Humvee crashed into another vehicle.

Dr Jamal Kadhim Shwail was the first doctor to examine Lynch when she was brought to Nassiriya's military hospital by Iraqi special police.

Shwail said Lynch was lying in the crowded reception of the hospital, unconscious and in shock from blood loss.

She was wearing her uniform including a flak jacket, military trousers and boots, none of her clothes had been unbuttoned or removed, as
the book claims, he said.

'We only had a few minutes to save her life, we found a vein in her neck to give her fluids and blood,' Shwail told Reuters at his home in
Nassiriya.

A team of five doctors treated Lynch, who was given an anaesthetic to allow a 15-cm (six-inch) cut to her head to be stitched and her fractures realigned.

He said her flak jacket was removed and her clothes were cut away to expose the injured sites. The anaesthetist cut away an area around her groin to insert a catheter to drain urine."

The purported "evidence" presented by the Bragg book would appear to be a fake. Yet another disinformation fake in a dirty war.

With this kind of rot, you don't need to have a coherent foreign policy or maintain even a semblance for respect for human rights. Just stoke up the "Big Hate" machine and all the Bubbas fall in line. Quite similar to the "Iraqi soldiers throwing babies out of incubators" story from Gulf I.

electroniciraq.net: The Media: Saving Jessica Lynch's selective memory

"Her book will most likely make the top-seller list despite having disputed findings, like how Bragg asserts that it was likely Lynch was sexually assaulted, something Lynch has neither confirmed nor denied, and her Iraqi doctors have rejected."

Bubbas don't need credible confirmation as long as the story line fits their virtual reality.

HoustonChronicle.com - 54,000 children dropped off insurance rolls

"The Center [for Public Policy Priorities ] said that 49,000 of the children who would have been enrolled in CHIP are not enrolled because of policy changes that took effect in September.

Among the changes are a three-month waiting period for enrollment, the inability to deduct child care and child support payments in calculating income and a requirement to recertify twice a year instead of once. "

Bubbas don't leave a child behind -- they just drop him from the list.

NYTimes.com: Failed Pensions: A Painful Lesson in Assumptions

"Robert M. Bowden retired from his job as accounts manager for a large trucking company with a plan to travel for himself.
But his company's pension plan collapsed this year, and his annual payout was cut to $24,000 from $48,000.

Mr. Bowden and other retirees of the company, CNF, see a culprit. In a lawsuit, they accuse the company of failing for many years to set aside enough money in the plan. "

How do you plan ahead when your pension-plan manager doesn't?

NationalJournal.com: SACRE BLEU! THE FRENCH WERE RIGHT

"The U.S. experience in Iraq suggests the French were on to something in their warnings before the war, National Journal reports. One reason is that the French were thinking in a cautious, pragmatic way, informed by their own experience with terrorist groups"



Sure, the French were right! But that won't keep the Bubbas from hating them.

NYTimes.com: Krugman : Flags Versus Dollars

"Mr. Dean wasn't suggesting that his party adopt the G.O.P. strategy of coded racial signals, and by and large African-Americans — my wife included — understand that. What he meant by his flag remark was that Democrats must make the case to working Americans of all colors that the right's elitist agenda isn't in their interest. And he's right. "

Has Paul been reading my 'blog?

NYTimes.com: School Violence Data Under a Cloud in Houston

"It was one of the most unforgettable of schoolhouse crimes: a disabled 17-year-old student was shoved into a boys' bathroom in her wheelchair by a classmate at Yates High School here, dragged to the floor and raped. Her attacker was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Yet the Houston Independent School District did not include that rape, committed two years ago, when it came time to report the school year's campus crimes to the state as required by Texas law. And that is not the only school crime that appears to have been airbrushed from the official record."

Here's a wonderful Bubba-ism. The Chron puts the "Lynch raped" story in its headline yesterday. But for the 17-year old girl raped in in a Houston school, in the NY Times under "cloudy data", is reported in the Chron as HISD denies report it held back data on school crime.

"HISD spokesman Terry Abbott denied that the district's reporting on school crime had been anything but thorough and accurate, saying the Times' account is "a reckless disregard for the truth."

Yeah Bubba. The so-called "Texas Education Miracle" has been shown to be a bust on several occasions. Under Bush, the Houston school districts claimed a very-low drop-out rate, but that was simply because they lied: school districts stopped counting no-shows as drop-outs. Some districts in Houston had very high drop-out rates, around 50%, but they claimed 100% attendance. Liars!

And now we have the "School Violence" lie, with HISD calling the NYTimes article "exaggerated".

All a great show of BubbaLogic.

NYTimes.com: Jessica Lynch Criticizes U.S. Accounts of Her Ordeal

"The book has already added another, lurid indignity to the public accounts of her capture. It reports that Ms. Lynch's military doctors found injuries consistent with sexual assault and unlikely to have resulted from the Humvee crash that caused her other wounds, suggesting that she was raped after her capture. Ms. Lynch, who was unconscious immediately after the crash, does not remember any such assault, according to people who have talked to her and read the book.
...
Asked how she felt about the reports of her heroism, Ms. Lynch told Ms. Sawyer, 'It hurt in a way that people would make up stories that they had no truth about. Only I would have been able to know that, because the other four people on my vehicle aren't here to tell the story. So I would have been the only one able to say, yeah, I went down shooting. But I didn't.'
...
"From the time I woke up in that hospital, no one beat me, no one slapped me, no one, nothing," Ms. Lynch told Diane Sawyer, adding, "I'm so thankful for those people, because that's why I'm alive today.""

I'm glad to see the truth coming out, although the Bubba stories are still rolling around. The army doctors say she was raped but Lynch said she wasn't. Who do you believe? The Iraqi who informed the US soldiers of her whereabouts and who is now trying to make a buck off of it says she was slapped, but Lynch denies this. Who do you believe? Who has the most chance of lying in this case?

Lynch's memories more closely match the reports made by the hospital staff in the Arab and European press than the military's "leaks". Who do you believe?

Then again, if you are a "Bubba" and you apply "BubbaLogic", you are required to dismiss this differences and continue to believe the "she was raped, stabbed, shot" story. Then you can feel good about supporting Bush and hating France and not paying taxes and driving big cars and being a total Bubba. How nice to feel good!

Chretien Protests Deportation of Canadian (washingtonpost.com):

"Prime Minister Calls U.S. Treatment of Terror Suspect 'Completely Unacceptable'

...

A high-ranking Syrian diplomat said Wednesday that Syria agreed to imprison Arar in a gesture of goodwill toward the United States.

"They told us he was an al Qaeda activist, so we took him and put him in custody," said Imad Moustafa, chargé d'affaires at the Syrian Embassy in Washington. "The U.S. was pressing us not to send him to Canada, the Canadians were pressing us to not send him to Syria." "

Watch out Jean! Pointing out to the Bush administration that its tactics are those of a totalitarian dictatorship may end you up on the Clear Channel "Big Hate" List.

The Victoria Advocate

"Levee project under way"

Hey, mind your French, Bubba!

HoustonChronicle.com - Lynch was brutally raped by captors, book reveals:

"Lynch also confirmed reports in the book that Iraqi doctors tried to sneak her to safety in an ambulance but turned back when wary U.S. soldiers opened fire on them."

I remember my Bubba brother-in-law commenting on a news article on the television. "Yeah, they shot her, stabbed her and raped her. What wonderful treatement!"

I was in the US for Easter and aghast at the war-frenzy drummed up by the mainstream televions news, CNN included. The Washington Post had reported comments on how Private Lynch had been shot and stabbed, but these assertions were retracted. Even the Houston Chronicle noted that the shot/stab claims were phony.

But I hadn't read anything about Private Lynch being raped, until now. And I doubt that it is true. I think that it is quite probably a lie. How do you rape a woman with a broken leg while she's asleep? These are the kinds of ideas that come out of the logic of Bubbas: you don't have any information, so you make it up as you go.

What is interesting is the corrobation of the good treatment received by Private Lynch and failed attempt to deliver her to US forces. That part of the story, reported by the European and Arab press early on, was never well covered in the states. In fact, if Lynch was shot it, it was by American troops firing upon her ambulance, which is, by the way, a war crime. Fortunately for Lynch her Iraqi ambulance driver knew what to expect from the US troops.

In a Jam, Dean Apologizes for Remarks on Rebel Flag

"Howard Dean apologized yesterday for his recent comments about Southerners who display the Confederate flag, saying, 'I deeply regret the pain that I may have caused.' He said he would lead the nation in a 'difficult and painful discussion' about race."

Too bad that Dean is bowing to pressure in this fashion, although with a bunch of stupid voters, what else can you do but make stupid statements.

Like a lot of northerners, Dean's critics don't quite understand that, to "us" Southerners, the Confederate flag is not a question of race but of states' rights. In this respect, it is horribly demeaning, even stupid, to identify those with the Confederate flag as racists. It's the equivalent of identifying Palestinians as "terrorists": it's just plain wrong.

Somehow I get the feeling that Dean understands all of this, but he can't go into it because he would alienate at the same time blacks, Southerners and ignorant Northerners.

Q:What to do when everyone is a Bubba and you want to be their President?
A: Be a Bubba! Worked for Clinton. Worked for Bush.

FT.com: Victories in South boost Bush second term hopes

"President Bush's campaign intends to be aggressive about registering new voters, working with the grassroots and making sure we have an aggressive ground game," said Scott Stanzel, a spokesman for Bush-Cheney '04. Having Republican governors would also be a boost, he said. 'It is helpful to have someone in the state who can work with the administration and can help build support for the president's plans and be there as an advocate for President Bush.'"

Yeah, that's for sure, especially when it comes to voter-list rigging and election fraud as in Bubba "Jeb" Bush's Florida! As Bubba Stanzel so brillantly remarks, you can count on more of this illegal conniving for 2004.

Illegally in the U.S., and Never a Day Off at Wal-Mart

"The 21-state raid last month exposed an unseemly secret about Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer: Hundreds of illegal immigrants worked at its stores, and its subcontractors appear to have violated overtime, Social Security and workers' compensation laws. "

Yessir, that's Bubba patriotism right here at Wal-Mart. Illegal activities in the world's largest retailer. That's what globalization is all about!

Dean Offers No Apology for Rebel Flag Remark:

"Mr. Edwards, a trial lawyer by profession, jumped in. 'The last thing we need in the South is somebody like you coming down and telling us what to do,' he said.

'I grew up in the South,' Mr. Edwards said, adding that 'the people that I grew up with, the vast majority of them, they don't drive around with Confederate flags on pickup trucks.'"

Bubba Edwards probably grew up with the Cadillac/Mercedes/BMW country-club Bubbas instead of the rednecks.

I, on the other hand, grew up in Texas where most of the pickup trucks definitely have confederate flags on them. I didn't grow up with Mr. Edwards.

I'm feeling pretty Dean these days, seeing how the rest of the Democratic candidates are really a bunch of dolts, Clarke included.

Fetal Brains Suffer Badly From Effects of Alcohol

"The effect of low levels of alcohol appears to be subtle, said Dr. James R. West, head of the department of anatomy and neurobiology at the Texas A&M medical school.

'Perhaps instead of having an I.Q. of 120, you might end up with 115,' he said. 'You might seem perfectly normal, but not have the motor skills to make the high school football team.' "

Bubba West, an Aggie, shows a good example of Bubba science. Instead of saying what is obvious, that effects of low-level drinking by pregnant mothers in unmeasurable, he says, in effect, "The effects are real but subtle." Bubba West leaves us to wonder about his theories surrounding creationism.

Bubba lawyers may just find a goldmine in Bubba West's announcements: you can now use this "medical fact" in a case to sue your mother, who's drinking caused you to miss the cut for the football team.

Bubba Wolfowitz remarks at Georgetown University

"Q: Hi, Mr. Wolfowitz. My name is Ruthy Coffman. I think I speak for many of us here when I say that your policies are deplorable. They're responsible for the deaths of innocents and the disintegration of American civil liberties. [Applause] We are tired, Secretary Wolfowitz, of being feared and hated by the world. We are tired of watching Americans and Iraqis die, and international institutions cry out in anger against us. We are simply tired of your policies. We hate them, and we will never stop opposing them. We will never tire or falter in our search for justice. And in the name of this ideal and the ideal of freedom, we assembled a message for you that was taken away from us and that message says that the killing of innocents is not the solution, but rather the problem. Thank you. [Applause and jeers]

Wolfowitz: I have to infer from that that you would be happier if Saddam Hussein were still in power. [Applause]

[...]

Q: I'd just like to say that people like Ruthy and myself have always opposed Saddam Hussein, especially when Saddam Hussein was being funded by the United States throughout the '80s. And -- [Applause] And after the killings of the Kurds when the United States increased aid to Iraq. We were there opposing him as well. People like us were there. We are for democracy. And I have a question.

What do you plan to do when Bush is defeated in 2004 and you will no longer have the power to push forward the project for New American Century's policy of American military and economic dominance over the people of the world? [Applause]

Wolfowitz: I don't know if it was just Freudian or you intended to say it that way, but you said you opposed Saddam Hussein especially when the United States supported him.

It seems to me that the north star of your comment is that you dislike this country and its policies. [Applause] And it seems to me a time to have supported the United States and to push the United States harder was in 1991 when Saddam Hussein was slaughtering those innocents so viciously.

Look, let's back up a little bit. You and I should both calm down a little here."

There you go, Bubba Wolfie. Take the message and make it say something that it didn't. Classic, disgusting smear tactics.

Bubba Wolfie didn't even seem to understand the comment about the US "supporting Hussein" as did Rummy and GW Bush dad into 1990, even at the height of the now-infamous "kurd gassings".

But the worst thing is having Wolfie put into question the patriotism of others just because they don't agree with him. Utterly dispicable.

Unfortunate that Bubba Wolfie did not become an "object lesson" for those who take his overseas seminars on "how to get rich off of other people's sufferings".

Study finds TV can be effective sex educator
"'We've always known that teenagers get useful information about sex from factual reporting and advice-oriented media, but now we know they can get this information from entertainment television programs as well,' said Rebecca Collins, lead author of the report. "

This is only fitting. Today's television news programming is a lot like entertainment and quite fictional.

Sure, 65% of the teenage Bubbas remembered that it was a broken condom. Now how about the 60% to 70% of the Bubbas that think that Saddam Hussein instigated the 9/11 atrocities? Or the 50% of Bubbas that believe that WMDs have been found in Iraq alredy? Why don't these Bubbas remember anything?