Why We Cannot Win by Al Lorentz

"Because the current administration is more concerned with its image than it is with reality, it prefers symbolism to substance: soldiers are dying here and being maimed and crippled for life. It is tragic, indeed criminal that our elected public servants would so willingly sacrifice our nation's prestige and honor as well as the blood and treasure to pursue an agenda that is ahistoric and un-Constitutional.

It is all the more ironic that this un-Constitutional mission is being performed by citizen soldiers such as myself who swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, the same oath that the commander in chief himself has sworn."

This statement is written by a non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the US military in Iraq. As reported in the Christian Science Monitor, this NCO is now facing charges for disloyalty and insubordination (link to Salon).

The rest of the CS Monitor article goes on to describe the Bubba administration's attempts to keep the press "upbeat" about Iraq. Other than the Orwellian moment that this presents, we can also conclude that it is a definite attempt to keep the Bubbas in the dark about the real mess in Iraq. The rest of the world, on the other hand, is no dupe. Amazing to see the fate of the entire world in the hands of Bubba voters.

Harris Interactive | The Harris Poll

This is an interesting poll result. It shows that the better educated that you are, the more likely that you are to vote Kerry, as much as 21% more likely for those with graduate degrees. Doesn't that just about say everything, Bubba?

Thanks to cursor.

BBC NEWS | Russia backs Kyoto climate treaty

"The Russian government has approved the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and sent it to parliament for ratification.

Until now, Moscow has wavered over the treaty, which can only come into force with Russian ratification. "

Kind of the BBC not to mention that it was Bubba Bush who nixed Kyoto for the states -- another of his acts that has won recognition in the world.

ZAMAN DAILY NEWSPAPER | 'Ridiculous' Says Yusuf Islam about His Deportation

" Famous folk singer Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, returned to the UK yesterday after being deported from the US because his name appears on a terrorist watch list.

'The whole thing is totally ridiculous,' Yusuf Islam told a reporter upon his arrival at London Heathrow. "

I said the same thing two days ago.

Voice of America | US to Deport British Singer Formerly Known as Cat Stevens

"Speaking on condition of anonymity, a U.S. official said authorities believe Mr. Islam may have donated money to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

A leading U.S. Muslim organization, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, denounced the action against Mr. Islam and said he is one of the most widely-known and respected Muslim peace activists in the world. "

Nothing like the VOA presenting anonymous sources. Perhaps VOA really means "Voice of Anonymity".

IHT: Skeptical reaction meets Bush at UN

"Before Bush spoke, Secretary General Kofi Annan gave a stern address warning that even the world's most powerful countries must follow the rule of law, which many interpreted to be a rebuke of Bush's actions in Iraq.

And just after Bush's motorcade sped away from the flag-draped UN headquarters, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain told a news conference that he had withdrawn troops from Iraq because peace demands 'more heroism than war.' President Joseph Deiss of Switzerland took the podium at the General Assembly to declare that the U.S.-led project in Iraq was 'doomed to failure.'

The only folks that don't know that Iraq is a disaster are the US electorate.

Sky Showbiz - Cat Stevens Denied Entry

"Security sources said the pop star, who converted to Islam, was on a security 'watch list'.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the singer was denied access to the US 'on national security grounds' and would be returned to Britain on Wednesday.

Flight 919 from London to Washington diverted 600 miles to Bangor International Airport on Tuesday, landing at around 7.30pm British time, after US security officials were told Stevens was aboard."

Ooh, Baby it's a Wild World!

The Bubba Bush WOT sets a new record for "ridiculous act".

The New York Times | Bush Record: New Priorities in Environment

"From the start, Bush officials challenged the status quo and revised the traditional public-policy calculus on environmental decisions. They put an instant hold on many Clinton administration regulations, and the debates over those issues and others are intensely polarized.

The administration has sought to increase the harvesting of energy and other resources on public lands, to seek cooperative ways to reduce pollution, to free the military from environmental restrictions and to streamline - opponents say gut - regulatory and enforcement processes."

None of this should surprise those who dislike Bubba W. What is surprising is that so many mainstream voters go along with this in spite of an overall preference in ecology. Goes to show that Bubbas vote for Bubbas -- and not for their interests. As said in the article:

"The New York Times in mid-2001 and late 2002 consistently showed public opposition to drilling in the Arctic refuge. A CBS poll in the same period showed that, by ratios of better than two to one, those polled said that environmental protection was more important than energy production."

And the real surprise is to see Bubba Bush announcing these news priorities just before the election. Apparently, W feels so confident that he'll bring out the dirtly laundry early. Perhaps this is a harbinger of much worse things to come under a second term.

The New York Times | Raising the Pressure in Iraq

"On Monday, the scene repeated itself in another corner of Baghdad. When three insurgents opened fire on an American sport utility vehicle, American soldiers sprayed the area with gunfire, destroying three cars and killing at least one Iraqi civilian and wounding three others.
'When the Americans fire back, they don't hit the people who are attacking them, only the civilians,' said Osama Ali, a 24-year-old Iraqi who witnessed the attack. 'This is why Iraqis hate the Americans so much. This is why we love the mujahedeen.'"

I happen to believe that any sane person in Iraq would come to the same conclusion.

Look at our most cherished American moment: the American revolution. The US was being taxed by an overseas power and the landed gentry didn't like that. This was oppression!

Can we imagine for even a moment that the British would have been so bloodthirsty as to fire at civilians in order to "tame" the American insurgents?

Yet, take the US approach in Iraq. A foreign power "saves" the country from a "brutal" dictator and then goes about trying to "squash" or "quell" the insurgents. How does the Army do this? By dropping bombs on heavily-populated residential areas. By incarcerating thousands without charges other than "insurgency". By "abusing" (a.k.a. torturing) Iraqi prisoners. By firing upon unarmed civilians without provocation.

These things are usually called "war crimes" when they are committed by others, such as Serbs. But when Bubbas do it, that changes everything: now it's for peace. And gee, what are all of these Iraqis getting on about, anyway?

In conclusion of the article:

"Seated in his Baghdad office, Mr. Dhari, the Sunni cleric, said that efforts to persuade Iraqis with the gun would ultimately fail, as they did for the British after the World War I.

"When you push the Iraqi people, and you harm the Iraqi people, you will just cause them to fight back harder," Mr. Dhari said. "The idea that force will be enough to calm the Iraqis is a false dream."

Reuters.com | Journalist killed, cameraman wounded

"The U.S. military said it was investigating an incident in Baghdad the same day in which helicopters opened fire on people milling around an abandoned U.S. armored vehicle after fighting on Haifa Street, in a notorious anti-U.S. area.

At least five people were killed, including a producer for Al Arabiya television. A Reuters cameraman was among those hurt.

A U.S. military statement said the helicopters were fired on from the vicinity of the armored vehicle before they attacked. Reuters TV footage of the incident showed no evidence any of the Iraqis around the Bradley vehicle were armed or had opened fire. "

Perhaps the US military thought they the civilians were Canadian?

Boston.com | U.S. jets bomb suspected militant hideout in Fallujah; at least 16 killed

"Witnesses said the bombing targeted the city's residential al-Shurta neighborhood, damaging buildings and raising clouds of black smoke.

Dr. Adel Khamis of the Fallujah General Hospital said at least 16 people were killed, including women and children, and 12 others wounded. An ambulance rushing from the area of the blasts was hit by a shell, killing the driver, a paramedic and five patients inside the vehicle, said another hospital official, Hamid Salaman.

''The conditions here are miserable an ambulance was bombed, three houses destroyed and men and women killed,'' the hospital's director, Rafayi Hayad al-Esawi, told pan-Arab Al-Jazeera television by telephone. ''The American army has no morals.''

Witnesses said U.S. warplanes repeatedly swooped low over the city and that artillery units deployed on the outskirts of the city also opened fire. The explosions started at sunrise and continued for several hours. "

The inevitable conclusion to the events in Iraq.

Aljazeera.Net - Witnesses: Apache fired on crowd

At least 10 people were killed in the attack

"'Air support destroyed the Bradley fighting vehicle to prevent looting and harm to the Iraqi people,' the US military said in a statement.

Reuters footage showed the crowd to be made up of unarmed boys and men, two of whom were standing on top of the Bradley.

Some had been celebrating the destruction of the armoured car.

Others were discussing what had happened and quietly watching the Bradley burn, sending thick black smoke into the sky. Then the attack began."

This kind of action -- total disregard for human life -- is what is losing the Iraq war today. The NY Times says that the currency state of affairs shows the growing strength of the insurgency groups in Iraq. What better way to stop insurgency than to promote human welfare in Iraq -- for a change.

USATODAY.com | Cheney ties election result to chance of terror attack

"The presidential campaign spiked to a new level of rhetorical heat Tuesday when Vice President Cheney warned that a vote for Democrat John Kerry could bring terrorist attacks on the USA.

Speaking to supporters in Des Moines, Cheney called it 'absolutely essential' that on Election Day voters 'make the right choice. Because if we make the wrong choice, then the danger is that we'll get hit again, and we'll be hit in a way that will be devastating.'"

I totally agree with Dick Cheney on that statement. And it is for that reason that Americans must not vote for Bush/Cheney in 2004 -- they're unfit to serve.

Oh, and get a load of this mugshot! Does this guys look like the "positive thinker" that he's made himself out to be? Looks more like the "angry man" that he accuses Kerry of being.

Reuters.com | Latest News and Financial Information

"[Bubba] Bush blames the 2001 recession and the costs of the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks and the war on terror for the increase in red ink.

But Democrats say his tax cuts are responsible for squandering the surplus he inherited into a deficit they say threatens the future of Social Security and the Medicare health care program for the elderly.

'Only George W. Bush could celebrate over a record budget deficit of $422 billion,' Kerry said in a statement on Tuesday.
...
CBO also forecasts that the federal government will reach its $7.384 trillion debt limit in October. The U.S. Treasury has asked Congress to raise the borrowing ceiling for the third time in three years, a sensitive vote Republicans would like to avoid ahead of the election."

Now, the question one could ask is: are the US voters keeping track of the economy? If yes, then they'll want a Clinton back in the office.

FT.com | US - Funds opt for the quick sale strategy

"A recent study by fund tracker Morningstar showed that six of the 10 biggest actively managed stock funds would have showed higher returns if they had not bought or sold anything at all in the past four years.

Fidelity's Magellan fund lost an average of 5.4 per cent a year from mid-1999 to mid-2004. Over that time, the fund charged investors more than $2bn in fees. However, if it had left its portfolio untouched it would have lost only 2 per cent a year, according to Morningstar."

Is this the end of mutual funds?

AlterNet | Election 2004: A Society of Owers

"The Republicans are selling their vision of an 'Ownership Society' to a nation of debtors."
...
The notion is to expand private ownership through more tax cuts on capital investments, tax credits for saving and privatized Social Security.
Sounds nice, but here's the problem: The Republican rhetoric assumes most Americans can save and invest. The reality is, most Americans are deep in debt. Before they can join the 'Ownership Society' they've got to pay their credit card bills, their rising variable-rate mortgages and their auto loans. After that, there's no money left because jobs are in short supply and wages are stuck in the mud."

Add the rising poverty level, 3 million more Americans in the past year, and you understand that "ownership" will be for an elite few. Bush is betting that no one cares about that, that the Bubbas all believe that they, too, can grab the brass ring. This kind of irrational belief is what makes the Lotto such a popular game.

TIME.com: They Are Killing Us All

"They Are Killing Us All"

The title would seem to invoke the headline from "Le Monde" on 12 Sept 2001: "On est tous Américain" or "We are all Americans". Putin and Bush seem to have the same quality of being very fast at squandering such good will.

Wikipedia,org | Hermann Goering -

"Goering: 'Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece. Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship.'

Gilbert: 'There is one difference. In a democracy, the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.'

Goering: 'Oh, that is all well and good, but, voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.'"

BBC NEWS | Iraq president halts French visit

"Tensions between Paris and Iraq were fuelled by comments by Iraq's Prime Minister Allawi in the Iraqi National Accord newspaper saying France's opposition to the war in Iraq had not spared it from terror.

In an editorial, the newspaper said: 'Chirac, who wants to present himself as fair, must take his share of responsibility for the kidnapping of his two compatriots as he opposed all international resolutions aimed at restoring Iraqi's security,' according to AFP.

France's foreign ministry issued a strongly worded statement saying Mr Allawi's remarks had been 'unacceptable'. "

Allawi is a nutcase. Ask any Iraqi who has better favor in Iraq: France or US. You can be sure of the response. Or ask the Washington Post from their Sept 29 2003 poll:

"The poll also found that 29 percent of Baghdad residents had a favorable view of the United States, while 44 percent had a negative view. By comparison, 55 percent had a favorable view of France.

Similarly, half of Baghdad residents had a negative view of President Bush, while 29 percent had a favorable view of him. In contrast, French President Jacques Chirac drew a 42 percent favorable rating. "

The New York Times | Bush Is 'Unfit' to Lead U.S., Kerry Charges

"Earlier on Thursday, Mr. Edwards had said Mr. Kerry's rivals were attacking him because they had achieved so little worth celebrating.

'I can understand why the vice president spent so much of his time talking about John Kerry,' Mr. Edwards said at a rally in Norristown, Pa. 'It's because he doesn't want to talk about what they did the last four years.'"

It's about time for the Democrats to go on the attack.

FT.com / Bush gives vigorous defence of policies

While bashing France, what better image to stand in front of than ... the celebrated gift from France.

Bush Pushes Panic Button Again!

ABC News has this scary headline:

ABCNEWS.com : Iran Said Nearing Enrichment of Uranium:
"The United States which accuses Tehran of running a weapons program said the revelations provided further evidence Iran's nuclear activities pose 'a threat to international peace and security.'"

But, wait, haven't we heard this before somewhere? Oh, and BTW, shouldn't we trust these other guys mentioned by CNN?


CNN.com : IAEA: No proof of secret Iran plan:
"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.N. atomic watchdog agency says weapons inspectors have not uncovered evidence to support accusations that Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program.

However, a U.S. State Department official said the Bush administration still intends to work toward referring the matter to the U.N. Security Council for possible punitive action."

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, uh ... uh ... oh well, you won't do that again, will you?

The GOP Ministry of Truth

It's pretty amazing to read some of the platform statements from the GOP web site. Does anyone believe this whopper for even a second?

"Thursday, August 26, 2004
Fact Sheet: President Bush Is Making Health Care More Affordable

President Bush understands that rising costs can put health care coverage out of reach for many Americans. Health care costs are rising at the fastest rate in nearly a decade, imposing a burden on families and businesses. That is why the President's health care policies ..."

How about Bush environmental policies?

Preserving the Beauty and Quality of Our Environment

* Improving Our Nation’s Air Quality - President Bush’s Clear Skies legislation would dramatically improve air quality by reducing power plants’ emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury by approximately 70 percent over the next 15 years, more than any other clean air initiative.

* Improving The Quality of Our Waters and Wetlands, and Resolving Water Crises - On Earth Day 2004, the President announced an aggressive new national goal to create, improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five years in order to increase overall wetland acres and quality.

Then there's this note:

Protecting the American People

The President’s most important job is to protect and defend the American homeland. Since September 11, 2001, the nation has made tremendous progress achieving this goal.
...

The President has seen a great number of his goals met, including:

* Passage of the USA PATRIOT Act: The USA PATRIOT Act brought down the artificial wall separating law enforcement and intelligence officers and allowed them to talk to each other as they work to prevent future attacks.

Hmmm, the Patriot Act, don't you feel safer already? Then there's education:

Bipartisan Education Reform

President Bush submitted his framework for education reform, No Child Left Behind (NCLB), three days after taking office and secured overwhelming bipartisan support less than a year later.

With Texas schools leading the nation in the dropout rate, the NCLB "initiative" is universally recognized as a total hoax and fabrication. And if you think vouchers are anything but tax deductions for the wealthy, then I've got a tower in Paris to sell to you.

But there is something to rival with the GOP Ministry of Truth: the Ministry of Love, under the major heading "Compassion":

President Bush has taken bold steps to tear down the barriers that separate the poor from effective programs.

Yeah, who needs barriers when it's the programs themselves that are being eliminated?
But as long as we're on the subject of truth, here's some more stretching:

Jobs & The Economy

The economy is strong and getting stronger. The President’s pro-growth policies have helped drive the economy and move the recovery forward, putting more money in the pockets of America’s families and laying a foundation for robust growth and job creation now and for years to come.

* The economy has grown 4.8% in the past year, as fast as any year in nearly two decades.
* Productivity grew at the fastest 3-year rate in more than 50 years.

Right, George.