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Saturday, December 30, 2006

WINGNUTTERY 101

Barbara O'Brien, posting at Crooks and Liars, has compiled a timely and incisive primer on the failures and fulminations of American Conservatism. The is a bit long, but I hope you'll find it as interesting as I did. Sometimes we forget that the dishonesty and maliciousness that spawned the Cult of Dubya has a long history:

A (Pretty) Short History of Wingnutism.

After the Civil War, the American Right reacted to European socialism by adopting “laissez faire” economics with a vengeance. They embraced the idea that any government regulation of business was the equivalent of European socialism and a threat to civilization itself. The rise of big business was the natural activity of the laws of nature and God, they said. The late-19th century Supreme Court saw itself not as the protecting of individual liberty against the state, but the protector of individual wealth against the mob.

As historian Eric Siegel wrote,

According to what came to be known as “constitutional morality,” legislation supporting the right to unionize or limiting children’s working hours was an un-American form of group privilege. Laissez-faire conservatism reached its intellectual apogee in the 1920s. A critic complained that by 1924 you didn’t have to be a radical to be denounced as un-American: “according to the lights of Constitution worship you are no less a Red if you seek change through the very channels which the Constitution itself provides.”

In Europe conservatism was based on hereditary classes; in America it was based on hereditary religious, ethnic, and racial groups. The GOP, a largely Protestant party, looked upon itself as the manifestation of the divine creed of Americanism revealed through the Constitution. To be a conservative, then, was to share in a religiously ordained vision of a largely stateless society of self-regulating individuals. [The Reader’s Companion to American History, edited by Eric Foner and John Garraty (Houghton Mifflin, 1991), p.222]

By now you probably see where we’re going. “American Way” conservatism was the dominant political philosophy in the 1920s, and the nation was governed by its principles through the Harding and Coolidge administrations, from 1921 to 1929. Some historians call this decade “the Republican Era.” The vigorous progressivism of 1900-1916 was vanquished, and the labor union movement lost ground. In fact, the longer one looks at America in the 1920s, the more familiar it gets — corporate profits rising faster than worker earnings; a crackdown on immigration; culture wars led by an aggressive Christian fundamentalist movement; and tax cuts galore. If they’d had iPods back then, you’d hardly know the difference.

Of course, it would come to pass that the Republican who won the 1928 presidential election by a landslide, Herbert Hoover, was probably sorry he won. The stock market crashed in October 1929, which marked the beginning of the Great Depression. The Depression was caused by a number of interacting factors, and since it was a worldwide phenomenon you can’t blame the Republicans for all of it. But in the United States many of those factors were created, directly or indirectly, by “American Way” conservative policies. Among these factors were a wildly overheated stock market (security regulation was socialism, after all) and the maldistribution of wealth that resulted from laissez-faire business policies. Since President Herbert Hoover was a tried-and-true “American Way” conservative, he mostly was at a loss to solve the nation’s economic problems, even though he had almost all of his four-year term to do so. In 1932 the nation turned to a liberal Democrat, Franklin Roosevelt, to make things right.

Righties are quick to point out that the New Deal had a limited impact on the Depression, and that the nation’s economy didn’t really pull out of the slump until the industrialization of World War II — over which FDR also presided. (This is just one of many examples of righties taunting lefties for not cleaning up rightie messes they couldn’t clean up themselves; Iraq is another.) But New Deal programs had a longer-term success in fostering economic stability. Federal deposit insurance, unemployment insurance, Social Security, increased government oversight of securities, and other New Deal innovations made Americans’ economic lives more secure and created a buffer against many of the factors that cause economic depressions.

And considering that rightie counter-arguments to the New Deal usually advocate returning to the same governing philosophy that allowed the Depression to happen, you’ll forgive me if I don’t take them seriously.

Anyway, after the FDR landslide in 1932 it was clear the right wing had fallen from grace. Righties spent the rest of the 1930s seething with resentment and planning a comeback. And just when they had a shot at re-taking the White House — bam, World War II happened. And this made the American Right look doubly stupid, because for the most part righties in the 1930s were isolationists who had not only pooh-poohed the threat of the Third Reich but had actually admired Mussolini.

After World War II righties rebounded with a fury. They did this in large part by taking the issue of national security away from the Democrats. It’s important to understand that the Right managed this not because of anything they actually accomplished, but through a “compilation of hysterical charges and bald-faced lies,” to quote Kevin Baker in this Harper’s article, “Stabbed in the Back,” which I vigorously urge you to read.

Much of the Red Scare and McCarthyist hysteria of the late 1940s and 1950s were as much about slapping down liberals and Democrats as it was about national security. See the Kevin Baker article for details. See also Richard Hofstadter’s Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (Vintage/Random House, 1962), in particular pp. 41-42 (emphasis added):

The inquisitors were trying to give satisfaction against liberals, New Dealers, reformers, internationalists, intellectuals, and finally even against a Republican administration that failed to reserve liberal policies. What was involved, above all, was a set of political hostilities in which the New Deal was linked to the welfare state, the welfare state to socialism, and socialism to Communism. In this crusade Communism was not the target but the weapon, and it is for this reason that so many of the most ardent hunters of impotent domestic Communists were altogether indifferent to efforts to meet the power of International Communism where it really mattered — in the area of world politics.

For a brief time the Dems countered with the “tough liberalism” of which Peter Beinart is so fond, but Beinart misses what the political turmoil of the 1950s was really about. The charges about “losing China” and being “soft on Communism” were not at their roots about national security at all, which is why no amount of national security toughness on the part of liberals will ever appease the Right. And I sincerely believe you can take what Hofstadter wrote about the American Right and Communism and update it to the American Right and Islamic terrorism, and it would still be right on the money.

Although the Right was more or less aligned with the Republican Party, after World War II Republican presidents were never “conservative” enough to suit them. Certainly Eisenhower wasn’t, nor Nixon, although they supported Nixon because he was tough on hippies. Neither did the late Gerald Ford please them. Their true allegiance was drawn to the Goldwater-Reagan wing of the party, which is why Their Day Dawned when Ronald Reagan became president.

By now we’ve moved into an area of history with which most younger readers are familiar — how Saint Ronald of Blessed Memory single-handedly slew International Communism and brought the nation to glorious prosperity by cutting taxes. Neither of which is, of course, what happened, but it’s what righties believe happened. But even the Reagan Administration wasn’t “pure” enough for them, because Democrats controlled Congress through the Reagan Administration. And because of those pesky Democrats, wingnut lore says, Reagan was constrained from returning the nation to a pre-New Deal state of holiness as he had wished to do.

George H.W. Bush fell short of wingnut expectations when he broke the “no new taxes” pledge. The Right never considered Bill Clinton to be a legitimate president even though he clearly won the elections of 1992 and 1996, and righties went, as they say, batshit crazy for eight years trying to bring him down. Even though neither Bill nor Hillary Clinton are all that liberal (to this liberal, anyway), something about them enflamed all the rage and the resentment American “conservatives” have been nursing since the 1930s.

Finally, however, the Right got back the free hand they’d lost in the election of 1932. They won control of the White House in 2000 and complete control of Congress in 2002, and by exploitation of the September 11 attacks managed for a time to wrap a cult of personality around George W. Bush and make him invincible. So righties have been mostly in control of the federal government for six years and fully in control for four, yet they still whine that they haven’t gotten a chance to do what they want to do. And if our nation and our foreign policy are hopelessly bleeped up, it’s not conservatism’s fault. Waa, waa, waa.

Paul Krugman wrote in his New York Times column today (behind a subscription firewall, alas),

After first attempting to deny the scale of last month’s defeat, the apologists have settled on a story line that sounds just like Marxist explanations for the failure of the Soviet Union. What happened, you see, was that the noble ideals of the Republican revolution of 1994 were undermined by Washington’s corrupting ways. And the recent defeat was a good thing, because it will force a return to the true conservative path.

Krugman writes that in 1994 House Majority Leader Dick Armey promised to “reduce the federal government by half as a percentage of gross domestic product.” However, the reality is that most of what Armey wanted to cut are programs and services that lots of people really want, like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Krugman continues,

As long as people like Mr. Armey, Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay were out of power, they could run on promises to eliminate vast government waste that existed only in the public’s imagination — all those welfare queens driving Cadillacs. But once in power, they couldn’t deliver.

That’s why government by the radical right has been an utter failure even on its own terms: the government hasn’t shrunk. Federal outlays other than interest payments and defense spending are a higher percentage of G.D.P. today than they were when Mr. Armey wrote his book: 14.8 percent in fiscal 2006, compared with 13.8 percent in fiscal 1995.

Unable to make good on its promises, the G.O.P., like other failed revolutionary movements, tried to maintain its grip by exploiting its position of power. Friends were rewarded with patronage: Jack Abramoff began building his web of corruption almost as soon as Republicans took control. Adversaries were harassed with smear campaigns and witch hunts: Congress spent six years and many millions of dollars investigating a failed land deal, and Bill Clinton was impeached over a consensual affair.

But it wasn’t enough. Without 9/11, the Republican revolution would probably have petered out quietly, with the loss of Congress in 2002 and the White House in 2004. Instead, the atrocity created a window of opportunity: four extra years gained by drowning out unfavorable news with terror alerts, starting a gratuitous war, and accusing Democrats of being weak on national security.

Yet the Bush administration failed to convert this electoral success into progress on a right-wing domestic agenda. The collapse of the push to privatize Social Security recapitulated the failure of the Republican revolution as a whole. Once the administration was forced to get specific about the details, it became obvious that private accounts couldn’t produce something for nothing, and the public’s support vanished.

In the end, Republicans didn’t shrink the government. But they did degrade it. Baghdad and New Orleans are the arrival destinations of a movement based on deep contempt for governance.

Is that the end for the radical right? Probably not. As a long-suffering civil servant once told me, bad policy ideas are like cockroaches: you can flush them down the toilet, but they keep coming back. Many of the ideas that failed in the Bush years had previously failed in the Reagan years. So there’s no reason to assume they’re gone for good.

Indeed, it appears that loss of power and the ensuing lack of accountability is liberating right-wingers to lie yet again: since last month’s election, I’ve noticed a number of Social Security privatizers propounding the same free-lunch falsehoods that the Bush administration had to abandon in the face of demands that it present an actual plan.

And that, bottom line, is the sad truth behind American conservatism — it’s all talk, no walk. It can bellyache up a storm, but it can’t govern its way out of a wet paper bag.

I mentioned the historian Richard Hofstadter earlier in this post. Hofstadter’s essays on pseudo-conservatism, written in the 1950s and 1960s, are essential reading for anyone who wants to understand wingnuttiness. Some of these are collected in a book called The Paranoid Style in American Politics: And Other Essays that I recommend highly. Some of Hofstadter’s essays are online, but they’re in badly and stupidly condensed form, so that much of the really good stuff is cut out. Anyway, the people we call “conservatives” or “righties” or “wingnuts” today are what Hofstadter called pseudo-conservatives, and he defined them this way:

The pseudo conservative is a man who, in the name of upholding traditional American values and institutions and defending them against more or less fictitious dangers, consciously or unconsciously aims at their abolition.

The truth of it is that wingnuts know only how to destroy, not to build. And wingnutism is a philosophy of resentment, not of governing. Give the American Right a free hand to govern, and it will fail, every time. Count on it.

We've already seen the first stumbles of the latest failure of conservatism. Maybe it's for their own good. Republicans much prefer biting at the heels of real leaders anyway.

JC

Friday, December 29, 2006

BUSH ENABLER BOYCOTT LIST

From http://www.americanpolitics.com/ :

As much as possible, boycott the following companies and their products.

These are some of the corporate whores responsible for 3000 dead GIs and 700,000 dead Iraqis. A few of them are hughly invested in Saudi Arabian interests - home to the majority of the 9/11 hijackers - where they are still pouring money the American public supplies them with. Many of them invest heavily in defense contracts. The best way to deal with these greedy warmongering bastards is to STOP USING THEIR PRODUCTS.

As you read through this list of scumbags - consider why each particular business/industry just LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES Bush and his policies - you'll find most of it has some basis in deregulation policies - you know, like opposing laws requiring childrens' clothing to be flame retardant - public safety stuff. Then we have those slimebuckets from whom Bush and his Clown Town Cloggers make Billion$ and Billion$!

BOYCOTT THESE GOP FINACIERS! There are alternatives to those on this list - use them as much as you can. Write these Bush enablers - send e-mails - and let them know you will not support Bush and his draconian, warmongering policies.

Ace Hardware/ Advance Auto Parts/ Allstate/ American Eagle Outfitters/ Amway/ Applebees/ Bank of America/ BayerBes/t BuyBob/ Evans/ Brookshire Grocery/ Brown Shoe Company/ California Pizza Kitchen/ Carlson Hotels/ Carters/ Casual Male Retail/ Chick-Fil-A/ Children's Place/ Cinemark/ Cingular/ Circuit City/ Clorox/ Coca-Cola/ Denny's/ Discovery Channel/ Dairy Queen/ Dole/ Dollar Tree Stores/ Domino's Pizza/ eHarmony.Com/ Epson/ Exxon Mobil/ Expedia/ Farmers Insurance/ FedEx/ Fossil/ Fresh Market/ Frito-Lay/ Fruit of the Loom/ GE/ Geico/ Gold Bond Foot Spray/ Goodyear/ Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company/ Guitar Center/ Heineken/ Hershey/ Hooters/ Hormel/ Huffy Bikes/ Hyatt/ Hyundai/ IHOP/ In-n-Out Burgers/ JC Penney/ Johnson & Johnson/ Johnsonville Sausage/ KB Toys/ Kmart/ Kohl's/ Kohler/ Kraft/ Krispy Kreme/ Levi's/ Lowe's/ Maytag/ McCormick & Schmick's Seafood/ McDonald's/ Michaels/ Michelin/ Microsoft/ Nestle's/ New Balance Athletic Shoe/ Nissan/ Nordstrom/ Office Depot/ Olive Garden/ Oracle/ Outback Steakhouse/ Pacific Sunwear/ Panda Restaurant/ Payless Shoes/ Pepsi/ Petco/ Petsmart/ Piggly Wiggly/ Procter & Gamble/ Quixtar/ Raley's/ Red Lobster/ Red Wing Shoe/ Remax/ Ruby Tuesday/ Ruddick Corporation/ Russell Stover Candies/ Scott's Miracle-Gro/ Sherwin-Williams/ Shoprite/ Slumberland/ Sony/ State Farm/ Steak N Shake/ Tiffany & Co/ TrueValue/ Urban Outfitters/ US Navy/ Visa/ Waffle House/ Wal-Mart/ Wegmans Food Markets/ Wendy's/ Winco Foods/ Wolverine World Wide/ Wrigley

Thursday, December 28, 2006

MISPLACED DEITY SOUGHT BY CHRISTIANS

I figured since my last posting went over so well with the anons that ya'll must want more, so how could I resist.

This little story was sent to me via email, and its meaning to me is that no matter how deep seated your religious convictions are to you, do not push them onto others.

So, I'm standing at a bus stop and they pull up. A car load of well meaning, bible thumping nut cases that are just frantic! The middle aged professionally dressed woman rushes forward...She takes my arm and with trembling voices she asks...."Have you found Jesus?" Her eyes plead with an urgency that is out of proportion to a bus stop.

Now normally I just politely decline the sermon, and free religious paperwork that such folk pawn off on unsuspecting by-standers. But, unfortunately for her, she is the fourth car to accost me in the last 9 minutes. So by now I'm beginning to wonder what the heck is wrong with these people. I mean if it's not Christians, it is the Jehovah's Witnesses. Can a simple Druid get no peace?

So calmly as I can muster, without being sarcastic I reply, "You people lost him, again??"

The woman looks confused. This is not the response she was hoping for and she needs to regroup. She takes a deep breath intending to launch into her sales pitch for her God, and church, paying no heed to the concept that I might not be into being converted. I decide to not let her get going so I launch into a speech of my own...

"What is wrong with you Christians? Every time I turn around you've lost Him!" I hit her with a glare of accusation. "I mean really..." I take a measured breath. "How do you expect to have anyone follow a deity that you can't even find!"

The poor woman looks stunned. This isn't going so good. Panicked she looks desperately to the car... Surely one of the men can help.... Undaunted I press on... "Maybe the problem is with you people... I mean Muslims never seem to loose there deity. Come to think of it neither do Jews, or Pagans of any kind."

I look at the man getting out of the car. He's all smiles. "I realize you people used to burn people like me at the stake... What was that about... deity even? I may be a Pagan-heathen, but I have never ever woke up panicked that I couldn't find my Goddess or God. They are always right where they should be... In the fire of my candle, in the air that I breath, in the earth that I stand on, in the water of my spring. I never feel abandoned by my deity(ies)."

"Of course, you Christians aren't much fun..." I continue. By now they are all out of the car. Befuddled, aghast, and at a loss for words. "Of course," I offer trying to give them some defense for losing Jesus. "He could have left due to religious differences. If I remember correctly He was Jewish. So if you are really so eager to find him..." I smile gently to soften the blow. "Check the nearest synagogue. He's probably in there. Also you folks should try and remember that this is America... Where freedom of religion means ALL religions."

Slowly they climb back into their car and drive away. I stand at the bus stop... No pamphlets, no bible, no dogma. I haven't found Jesus, but I haven't lost him either.

Oh, and if you've found Jesus, please get his face on the evening news A.S.A.P so the Christians can stop looking for him.

~~~~~~~Forever A Facetious Pain~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~Smile, it confuses neo-nuts~~~~~~~

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

GEORGE THE LESSER COMMENTS ON GERALD FORD


Presnit Bush said today that former President Ford "healed a divided nation."

To my knowledge, the act President Ford is most "admired" for is pardoning the pre-felonious Richard M. Nixon, who would have surely been someone's b-i-o-t-c-h in federal prison otherwise!

"Healed a divided nation?" What needed to be healed? "Divided?" How divided? What does that tell you about Republicans who supported Nixon - some even to this day. Could the GOP philosophy of "nobody is above the law....except Republican criminals" have anything to do with it?

"Healed a divided nation?" by pardoning the criminal before a court of law could even prosecute him for something to be pardoned of! How do you pardon someone for a crime when a presumption of innocence must stand due process? How do you pardon someone for a crime they have not been convicted of?

Obviously Gerald Ford thought Nixon was guilty of something! Why pardon an innocent man? The Constitution does not give the President authority to grant pardons to innocent men - it defies logic! A pre-emptive pardon?!!! And the Republican Party was adamant about Nixon's innocence - read the written record! Listen to the historical record!

"Healed a divided nation?" No. Ford did what the GOP is best at -- taking care of each other at the expense of justice. Ford pre-emptively pardoned Nixon to protect the reputation of his precious GOP - not to "heal a divided nation." The nation never healed. The national embarrassment lingers yet. But you can't embarrass the shameless GOP - they like to "move on" when they get caught committing felonies, but they'll spend BILLION$ investigating Bill Clinton's zipper!

Funny thing - Ford didn't quite qualify in the "I'm a uniter, not a divider" category. Of course President Homunculus thinks highly of his uneducated self - not even the venerable Gerald Ford compares. I can hardly wait for the funerary photo op!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

THE CRACKS ARE BEGINNING TO SHOW!

Senators nix pre-9/11 hijacker ID theory

WASHINGTON - A lengthy Senate investigation has debunked charges by a Republican congressman that military analysts identified Mohamed Atta and other Sept. 11 hijackers before the attacks, according to a committee aide familiar with the report.

In a letter to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sens. Pat Roberts and John D. Rockefeller dismissed suggestions by Rep. Curt Weldon (news, bio, voting record), R-Pa., that defense analysts ignored analysis that could have prevented the attacks. Roberts, R-Kan., is outgoing chairman and Rockefeller, of West Virginia, is the senior Democrat who will assume the chairmanship next month.
They concluded "there was no evidence Mohamed Atta or any hijackers were identified prior to 9/11," said the committee aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the aide was not authorized to speak publicly on the subject.

An internal Pentagon assessment already had dismissed Weldon's charges as unfounded. But the letter from Roberts and Rockefeller is the first rejection from Capitol Hill. The letter was obtained and first reported Tuesday by the Los Angeles Times.

Weldon, a 10-term Republican who lost his seat in the Nov. 7 election, repeatedly contended a secret military unit called "Able Danger" searched large amounts of data to link four Sept. 11 hijackers to al-Qaida more than a year before the attacks.

September, the Pentagon's inspector general found some employees recalled seeing an intelligence chart identifying Atta as a terrorist before the attacks. But the report said those accounts "varied significantly" and witnesses were inconsistent at times in their statements.

At the time, Weldon questioned the "motives and the content" of the report and rejected its conclusions, which he said relied on cherry-picked testimony. Weldon could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

According to the committee aide, Roberts and Rockefeller found similar problems in their investigation.

Weldon lost his seat to Democrat Joe Sestak, a retired Navy admiral who called for troops to be withdrawn by the end of 2007.

Just weeks before the election, the FBI raided the homes of Weldon's daughter and a close friend in an investigation of whether the congressman improperly helped the pair win lobbying and consulting contracts.

Credit: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061226/ap_on_go_co/able_danger

Sunday, December 24, 2006

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish all you deadbeats out there a joyous holiday. Please remember that the money you spent on the gifts will come back to bite you in the ass when, in 2007, your taxes, wages and SSI money will be garnished due to the defaulted student loans you have. So, the next time you see your brat playing the PS3 or XBOX 360 and you don't have enough money to feed them, remember you fucked yourself. As for me and my family, the bills are paid, the gifts wrapped, the food is cooked and I can relax knowing that I have done my part to help the United States Department of Education recover money owed to them by a bunch of stupid deadbeats who should have known better than to fuck the government out of what is rightfully theirs.

2007 is going to be a slam bang of a year for us LIBS. We have control of both houses and Bush will be stabilized to the point where he will have to listen to what REAL Americans (not Fox News watchers, not Rush Limbaugh listeners, not ConservativeThink writers) want. For anyone who wants to see how America works, this is a great time coming and no one can stop it (not even you, Cheney)!

As for myself, I plan on enjoying my 2nd year here on the Rattler and also writing on my blog THE Z MOVIE REVIEW. Don't think for one minute I am giving up my chance to speak my mind about my country. I am a taxpayer and I have a right to express my views regardless of who or what thinks I am wrong. I know I am right.

So here's to holiday cheer to everyone (except you fucking deadbeats)....HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

ZM

Saturday, December 23, 2006

BEYOND BELIEF

Is that blood in the water?

Sheikh Yur Buotty: Claus you're an idiot. Islam is the largest religion in the world and you're talking about Christmas

I love it when the turkey trusses himself up, lays on the chopping block ,and hands me the cleaver...

Waiting_for_Godot: Sheikh>>Its not about Numbers>>u Dumb Fuck

Thanks, Godot, I think I got this one.

Sheikh Yur Buotty: Godot he made the statement not me
Sheikh Yur Buotty: Claus has to be the biggest Dumbass on Paltalk ... maybe even the entire internet

Oh no, sir, I could never hope to wear your crown.

Jesus Claus: wait wait wait
Sheikh Yur Buotty: I wonder how isabellah feels about Claus being athiest
Sheikh Yur Buotty: No pussy?
Jesus Claus: Islam isn't the largest religion in the world, you moron
Sheikh Yur Buotty: Claus you dumbass. 2/3rds of the planet is islamic
Jesus Claus: BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA
Jesus Claus: Xianity is 2 billion, Islam 1.5
Jesus Claus: Look it up, jackass
MosesKnows: christianity has the greatest number of adherents, over 2 billion, islam has over 1 billion muslims.

You know Sheikh is in trouble when fellow wingnuts are peeling off. Pull up, Maverick, PULL UP! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Sheikh Yur Buotty: wrong Claus
Jesus Claus: Look it up, then
Sheikh Yur Buotty: You look it up Claus. I'm not doing YOUR
Jesus Claus: Ok, looking...done
Jesus Claus: You're an idiot
Jesus Claus: Does anyone else want in on this bet, who has more adherents, christianity or islam?
Jesus Claus: I want the maximum amount of humiliation for Sheikh

And now...drumroll please...and the winner is...!

http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

Based on many surveys of religious beliefs from encyclopedias, etc, Christianity is #1 with approximately 2.1 billion adherents, with Islam #2 with approximately 1.3 billion:


Ooo, so sorry, dumbass, not this time. Was there ever any doubt? Some days I wonder if there will be any conservative idiocy left to write about. I guess I just have to have faith, huh?

JC

COW-TIPPING - GOP STYLE


Virginia's 5th Congressional District Represenative, Republican Virgil Goode, is the quintessential neonut bigot! His most recent attack on American values comes in the form of what is clearly his forté: Muslim Bashing.

Following the lead of soon-to-be ex-senator George Felix Macacawitz Allen (Racist-VA), Virginia 5th District Republican Congressbigot, Virgil Goode-for-nothing, has implicated his entire constituency with being xenophobic, uncultured, and hateful goode-for-nothings, which we know is not the case - at least for some.

Representative Goode angered several civil rights groups and many of his colleagues over the response he made to a few of his "concerned" supporters about the decision by Rep.-elect Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim elected to Congress, to use the Quran when he is sworn in.

Goode's comments included:

"I will not be putting my hand on the Quran," he said at a news conference at the Franklin County Courthouse.

"One lady told me she thinks I'm doing the right thing on this; I wish more people would take a stand and stand up for the principles on which this country was founded."

"...do away with diversity visas which let in people not from European countries and some terrorist states."

In his response to his "concerned" citizens' inquiry, Goode stipulated that his proposed immigration policy is necessary "to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America."

"The Muslim representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."

It is abundantly clear that Representative Goode-for-nothing would rather occupy his time trumpeting the do-nothing machinations of the Republican House of Representatives and devote our tax dollars to empty and meaningless resolutions like:

"The United States House of Representatives has gone on record as decrying the action of the city of St. Denis, France in naming a street in honor of Mumia Abu_Jamal, who murdered a police officer in the United States 25 years ago.

It was on the night of December 9, 1981 when officer Daniel Faulkner conducted a routine traffic stop in Philadelphia. Faulkner had observed a vehicle traveling the wrong way on a one-way street. As the officer was charging the car’s driver, the driver’s bother, identified as Abu-Jamal, approached on the other side of the street and shot officer Faulkner in the back. Faulkner fell but he was able to shoot Abu-Jamal once before Abu-Jamal pumped four more shots into the officer, killing him.

Abu-Jamal was convicted of first-degree murder and given the death penalty. Following a number of appeals, the death sentence was overturned, but the underlying conviction stands, and Abu-Jamla remains in prison.

Over the past quarter-century, the extreme left in France has taken the Abu-Jamal case as a cause celebre; Abu-Jamal is hailed as a political prisoner. In that light, on April 29, 2006, the municipal government of the Paris suburb of St. Denis dedicated a street in the honor of Abu_Jamal;

The resolution adopted by the House points out that the official recognition and celebration of a convicted murderer of a United States’ police officer is an affront to law enforcement officers across the nation. Consequently, the House concludes its resolution by condemning the murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner and urging the municipal government of St. Denis to take immediate action to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu_Jamal. If such action is not taken by the municipal government of St. Denis, the House urges the Government of France to take appropriate action against the city of St. Denis to change the name of Rue Mumia Abu_Jamal
." http://www.house.gov/goode/20061213.shtml

How out-of-touch can one possibly be? We have thousands of dead GIs in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi women and children, and hundreds of billion$ pouring into overpriced defense contracts, and this is the best the likes of Virgil Goode can do? Moan over the naming of a street in France? I hope the RepuKKKes aren't wondering why they lost control of the House. I hope Representative Goode doesn't lament over the fact that his out-of-touch opinions will be pretty much silenced in the new House of Representatives come January 6th. Perhaps the fine citizens of the 5th Congressional district will give Goode his comeuppance he so deserves in 2008 and send him to join his good friend and fellow bigot, Macacawitz Allen in the "annuls" of Virginia history.

I encourage anyone willing to type an e-mail, especially if you're a voter in Virginia's 5th Congressional District, to send this low-life bigot as many e-mails as you can send - being professional, of course - and let him know that America values tolerance ahead of his low-rent religious bigotry. http://www.house.gov/goode/ - Write the bastard using his official e-mail.

Virginia's 5th Congressional District includes Lynchburg - American Taliban founder and co-director (with Pitchfork Pat Robertson) Jerry Falwell. Imagine that!

For you neonuts who will surely comment on this post, treat yourself to a little enlightenment and read up on the Abilene Paradigm - it might explain how the GOP has evolved into the group-moron it has become.

Damn, and I spent all those years in Charlottesville thinking cow-tipping was the most prevalent extra-curricular activity amongst morons in the Piedmont region of Virginia. I was wrong.

DUMB BELL

If anyone else has already encountered this brainless troll, bell_3, you might have warned me about engaging in political melee with such an obviously defenseless opponent. I rely on you people to point out the truly useless thinkers. And yet, I forgive you guys. I just can't stay mad at you.

It has been awhile since I'd stepped over the threshold of 2 Way Street, and immediately I knew why. Over in one corner, LUMINOL had excreted some of his racist manure, and was happily smearing it over his body and licking his fingers. I wondered where S_LINK was. He crowed and burbled when Rep. John Murtha publicly discussed a massacre in Haditha over in Iraq. To LINK and his broiled brain, (the boy sniffs too much airplane glue and spraypaint assembling his model cars) Murtha was some kind of traitor for going public with the kinds of crimes that hurt every honest soldier, the kind of story the Bush cartel would love to cover up. (Like they tried to distort and cover up the stories of Jessica Lynch, Pat Tillman, and others) Now, of course, charges have been filed against at least 8 soldiers from the incident Murtha revealed. That's right, LINK, you assailed the honorable soldier who tore the cover off of the story Repubs would love to keep hidden. And it goes without saying, genuine soldiers don't want these crimes covered up. Only cowards do.

But instead of excoriating S_LINK, I ended up discussing Neoconservatism with bell_3. He possess the curious quality of being able to sound credible and knowledgable on subjects he has no understanding of. Let me give you the example we got stuck on. I explained to bell that the current crop of neoconservatives were characterized mainly by the idea that America should use its military power aggressively (through invasion or overt attack) to topple dictators and thereby engender the near miraculous birth of stable, western-friendly democracies. Now, any idiot (except apparently, bell, LUMINOL, Archie, Brute, etc) will tell you that that is mindbogglingly foolish, that the problems of invading a country, destroying large parts of it, the various factions, the insurgency likely to spring from the occupation, etc etc etc, means that these ridiculous neocon pipedreams have virtually no chance of success. And the adventure in Iraq has indeed failed, as we liberals predicted long before it began.

But none of that, true as it may be, was what bell got so ridiculously wrong. In an attempt to head off my clearly damaging explanation of Neoconservatism, bell actually was so completely moronic as to claim that ALL American foreign incursions after WWII were based on THE SAME IDEOLOGY, the one that I had explained above. Remember what I said before. Neocon invasions are done to TOPPLE DICTATORS, and designed to CREATE DEMOCRACY. bell_3 tried to foolishly claim that our interventions in South America as being based on the SAME IDEOLOGY!

This bell_3 is a pathetic and simplistic thinker, but even more than that, his own examples prove to be virtually the exact opposite of what Neoconservatism is. In South America, as well as in Africa, the US supported many right-wing dictators, even against popular and populist desire for change. In many cases, these dictators WE supported had roving death squads, which tortured and murdered enemies of the strongman. All this was done to stop the spread of communism, but it was support for tyrants over people. So, bell seems to think that aggressively toppling a dictator like Saddam to bring democracy is equivalent to SUPPORTING a dictator and thwarting the democratic will of the people. Black is white and up is down, because on the planet bell lives, stupidity and ignorance are mistaken for incisive analysis and understanding. How did he even think this argument would pass cursory scrutiny? I get the feeling he was just trying to find some bulwark against the crushing approach of reason, and that was the best he could cobble together.

Look, even our incursions into Bosnia and Kosovo, for example, were based on realistic goals and pressing need to end genocide and ethnic cleansing. Neocons, like bell, have no real conception of measuring action to your capabilities, and recognizing what is a credible threat, and what is an appropriate response. Neocons tend to view every potential threat as a code red crisis. And since they have no understanding of what can reasonably done by the military, and care not at all for assessments that tell you that there is virtually no chance of success in Iraq, they are the worst kind of idealistic dreamers.

With people like bell_3, I often wonder if he is even paying attention to how moronic and ignorant he sounds as the words are coming out of his mouth. Rarely have I met someone so smugly saturated with the joy of hearing his own idiocy.

JC

Thursday, December 21, 2006

THOSE DAMN PAGANS AT IT AGAIN

I think most know that back in May, Bay Buchanan (conservative talk show guest and pundit, and sister of former conservative Presidential aspirant Patrick Buchanan) had an interesting take on the Gulf Coast disasters of last year, you know the neo-nut take, tired of hearing about it.

I agree with Bay, I am also tired of hearing about it, I am sick of hearing how the federal government failed to appropriate the money needed to shore up the levee system, and how what money was appropriated to New Orleans in particular was wasted to such a large degree by the state of Louisiana and city of New Orleans, that the end result was not only the failure of the levees, but the simultaneous failure of the pumps that could have otherwise pumped the water out of the New Orleans flooded areas realitively quickly.

I am sick of hearing about how Bush and his Administration denied the scope of the disaster in public, while every day the mainstream media conveyed images of the horror and disasters.

I'm sick of hearing Republican apologists constantly defend the incompetence of the Bush Administration. I am sick of hearing so many people engage in blaming the victims for not getting out of the area, even though many of them had no place to go, and no way to leave if they had a place. I am sick of hearing them being accused of purposely staying behind for purposes of looting, or out of hopes of filing lawsuits. I am sick with the knowledge, that, in reality, most of them had no way out.

I'm sick of hearing of how Bush and other politicians have promised New Orleans will be rebuilt, yet the reality seems to be no money is being made available for this effort, I am sick of so much it is hard to keep track of all of it. But the thing I am most sick of, Bay Buchanan, is people like yourself.

People who have a listening audience and say things such as "It's those pagans we need to watch out for", yes, that is what Bay said that today on Situation Room on CNN. the topic was about that ever so bias US Rep. Virgil Goode Jr., R-Va saying "The Muslim representative from Minnesota was elected by the voters of that district, and if American citizens don't wake up and adopt the Virgil Goode position on immigration there will likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran."

Notice the age old trick of neo-nuts, one of their own spews BS and instead of the neo-nuts demanding Virgil Goode to apologize or denouncing what Virgil Goode said they instead try coyly to redirect. With Bay Buchanan's insult geared towards all pagans with her stand offish comment, it shows how the neo-nuts really think. Neo-nuts do in fact believe in prejudicious actions and allows it's use, when it serves their needs.

There are those of the Pagan faith that have died serving their country, yet they still are treated as jokes, as people that don't matter. Goode's remark was not anymore outrageous than Bay's but I bet there will be no media coverage of Bay's insult to those of the pagan faith, there will be no group demanding accountability for Bay's words. A prejudice action has the same destructive powers no matter what bias was/is used.

Yet, I would wager that most would not see the revilement attitude presented in Bay's statement "It's those pagans we need to watch out for". People will say Bay was joking and since she is a neo-nut it is ok for her to joke unlike Kerry.

Many will say (liberals and conservatives alike)what Goode said was much worst than Bay's remark about pagans, I strongly disagree. What Goode said was an attack against Islam, a religion, faith, belief, what Bay said was an attack against Paganism, a religion, faith, belief. What Goode said portrays hate borne out of fear, what Bay said portrays hatred born from ignorance.

After thousands of years on this planet you would think that humans would grow the hell up and quit attacking others due to fears, when will people see that it the long run it really doesn't matter what your religious beliefs are or what color you skin is. Reality is, we are all the same, we all bled if cut, feel pain if hurt, experience love if lucky, and we all are capable of growing into mature adults. Unfortunate not so many care to grow into mature adults as one can see from the lowest to the highest of the land(s).

In today's time I find it even more important than ever to cry out against hate in any form. It seems that with 9-11 and Bush admin, the witch hunts and communists scare is back and in a big way. Now-a-days its ok to say you 'distrust' a person just because they are of the Islamic faith, hell some would even say it is understandable for one to say they hate. Since when has hate been productive, when did it become ok to replace blame instead of being held accountable? When did it become ok to preach hate and fear, oh wait now I remember when. It happened when Bush & his cronies came into power and people like Goode and Bay were proclaimed 'Great Americans'.

So now you know there is nothing to fear from people of the Islamic faith, Bay Buchanan told us it is 'Those pagans we need to watch out for'. So happy Bay cleared that all up for us, I guess that only leaves one unanswered question, when is the war against Pagans to start?

Now for some very (cough, cough) wise comments from well-known neo-nuts, and paltalkians thought they had the corner market on flip-flopping

RUMSFELD: It Would Be A Short War "Five days or five weeks or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last any longer than that" "Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things." –Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on looting in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, adding "stuff happens," April 11, 2003 BUSH: days before the November elections, declared, "Absolutely, we're winning." Dec 19th "We're not winning, we're not losing," Bush said in an interview with The Washington Post. BUSH: "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." —discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson. BUSH: "F**k Saddam, we're taking him out." –President Bush to three U.S. Senators in March 2002, a full year before the Iraq invasion DICK CHENEY: "I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency." June 20, 2005.

~~~~~~Yes, I'm always a Facetious Pain~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~Smile, it confuses people~~~~~~~


Also Goode refuses to apologize for his comments about Muslims.

THE SECRET PLAN TO RUIN CHRISTMAS, PART 2

The Secret plan to ruin Christmas, Part 2
Current mood: amused


BEHOLD THE POWER OF B MOVIES

http://thebmoviereview.blogspot.com/

Thats right, I decided to open my own blog where I discuss my favorite Movies on my own terms. Check it out and leave some love for me. (all stupid comments will be deleted on sight, that goes for you Mr. Photo!)

OK, my first plan to ruin Christmas didn't work. On to plan B. Plan B is simple. I submitted a bill to congress (along with $100 million in bribes) to have Christmas canceled and removed from the calendar. In its place is a new holiday called "Zombie Day." It's a holiday celebrating the best thing in the world: ME! This holiday is simple to do> everyone in America buys and sends me gifts. No tree, no decorations. Just one simple gift. ALL PRAISE ME! Only 4 more days until Z-Day. There will be songs written, movies made all about me. I like this holiday better.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

GEORGE BUSH: FLIP-FLOPPER

Two weeks before the November elections, which shifted control of Congress from the Republicans to the Democrats, Bush asserted that "absolutely, we're winning" in Iraq.

Update - Tuesday, 19 Dec 2006 - for the first time, the Smirking Coward said that American forces were not winning in Iraq. He also said the military would be expanded to fight a long-term battle against terrorism.

Flip-Flop? You bet your body armor!

Does Dim Son really think the situation in Iraq has worsened so much in the past 60 days that it changed the character of the war 180 degrees from "absolutely winning" to "we're not winning?" Or could it possibly be that his failed policies have never worked in Iraq? Has Bush been putting lipstick on his Iraq pig all along?

The Chimp goes on to say on 19 Dec that he plans to increase troop strength for a "long-term" war. Did the dummy-in-chief not get the hint in November?

Bush feels the need to tell the American people what he thinks they want to hear. But were Dim Bulb's comments "the truth?" No! NOT the truth. The Chimp-in-Chief's comments were meant to placate the doubting public - the 71% of Americans opposed to the Iraq War - a coming out, of sorts - with what the vast majority of Americans already know, or at least sense - that we aren't winning in Iraq, and we haven't been since MISSION ACCOMPLISHED days. Nothing has changed, and what's worse - Bush has no plans to bring this disaster to a close - against even the good counsel of the Iraq Study Group. This latest flurry of activity by the Pentagon and the White House to portray Bush as a catalyst for change is the same old horse and pony show this administration has played on the national stage since 9/11. The American people are screaming "NO MORE LIPSTICK MR. BUSH!" All the while, Bush cozies up to the Avon lady - and Laura isn't on Avon's payroll.

How many more hundreds of thousands of Iraqi men, women and children does Bush plan to murder? How many more cargo aircraft laden with dead GIs does George the Lesser plan to bring home so that Halliburton and the Carlyle Group can profit billion$?

For the first time in his miserable, cowardly life - George Bush told the truth - we aren't winning in Iraq. So what does he do about it? More lipstick. What a fool that man is.

We aren't winning in Iraq because our military doesn't have the will to do so. The military isn't a machine - it's comprised of individuals - and when the individuals lose faith - when the individuals no longer know what their goals are - when the individuals believe they are being sacrificed for the financial gain of a few very wealthy corporations and individual - they lose the will to fight and win. 3000 dead. For the vast vast majority of Americans - that's like everyone you went to high school with being killed. 650,000 - 700,000 dead Iraqi civilians - that's equivalent to murdering every citizen in cities like Baltimore, Austin, Charlotte, Seattle, Boston, or Milwaukee - in fact, greater than all but 15 of our largest cities.

There are so many AWOLS and desertions at this juncture - the services don't have the legal staff to process them, and are having to resort to contracting civilian attorneys to take up the slack. The Army has waived and eliminated quality factors for enlistees - no more requirements for high school diplomas, lower scores accepted on entrance exams, criminal records OK, and lots and lots of "bonus money." With those kinds of standards, it's no wonder crime is up on military installations and standards of behavior are deteriorating and moral is lower than in Vietnam - the military is resorting to desperate measures to maintain it's population of sitting ducks. Of course, when you have a commander-in-chief who AWOLed the Texas Air National Guard, you can't expect much in the way of standards and leadership by example.

Alas! It's high time chimp-boy speak the truth about "winning" in Iraq. 700,000 dead people too late, but he managed to eek it out. I suppose he expects our warm and heartfelt "thanks." But he blamed the failures in Iraq on AMERICAN FORCES and not PNAC/NEONUT/BUSH POLICIES!!! Now THAT will go a long way to encourage the troops to do better! Boy, he sure knows how to pass accountability and responsibility to his subordinates! What a leader! But I don't hear anyone heaping praise upon the troops for the massive profits their sacrifices bring to Bush's corporate whores - Bush claims that for himself - Bush measures his success in how much profit he can bring to his cronies - not on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bush wants to broaden the war in Iraq because it broadens the bank accounts of his "base."

On a more "personal" note - with the same disdain George Bush has toward the lives of our troops and the suffering of their families, I hold toward his beloved Mrs. Chimp - skin cancer can't spread fast enough for me.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

UNTITLED FOR YOUR PROTECTION

...where was I? How in the fuck did I get back here at this damned blog? Man, I need to find a game of No Limit Texas Hold'em. Yeah, that should calm me down, poker. Nah, I don't have time. I know, I'll buy some tunes from I-tunes for my I-pod? Let's see...what do they have today? Slayer? Nah. Marilyn Manson? No..got all the songs I need from him. Pink Floyd? Naw, I quit smoking weed 1 year ago. Dammit, Jeri is in the shower? Should I go in there and spook her? Dammit! She locked the door! Ok, I-pod tunes......Genesis? yeah...The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway...good album. WHAT the fuck? $15.00 for the whole album? Shit...I'll go onto Bear share and download it for free. FUCK the record companies. OH HELL, another post about me from that social issues photo jerk, I wish he would get off my case. I am beginning to think he is starting to get obsessed about me. Hostel 2 is coming out. Nice, the trailer looks nice, very bloody. May have to take Jeri to see that when it comes out. I may need to withdraw some money from my inheritance for that. ECW comes on at 10 pm. Yes, 3 way dance. RVD vs Sabu VS Test...so it'll be good. I need to pick up the History of AWA DVD for my wrestling collection. Maybe after the holidays....Damn, I got to work tomorrow...more fuckheads to deal with....I wonder how many people have our number blocked from their phones...fucking deadbeats...got to post about them some more on the Rattler....I've got to invent more ways to piss off them anonymous posters..what a bunch of chickenshits....oh well...they should remain hidden for their family's sake.....oh well....I'm off to bed.....

(the following thoughts were from Kenny's brain while on the computer between 9 pm and 9:45 pm on 12/19/06.

50 CENT IS LAUGHING......

Well, the jackass that runs that award-winning blog, "Social Issues Photographer," thinks he is 50 Cent or something with that "rap" he wrote about me. Well, he ain't no 50 Cent...as a matter of fact he makes no sense. Just another reason to laugh at this asshole.

Nothing new over here.
Later

Thursday, December 14, 2006

WE ARE NOT DOOMED

America will never be doomed if it has faith that shows us the love of respect, honor, truth, compassion, and equality that holds the hands of the people of the United Stated, where Conservatives, Liberals, and others are patriots to the Constitutional Freedom and Democracy of the Declaration of Independence, singing with our nation anthem, in the red, white, and blue spirit, where Free Speech of diversity is a birthright. We are not a nation of one religion but one of all religions that must unite in respect that must honor humanity in love over war, as prime ingredient of our own divine Liberty. We can never let our country become a Corporation, for our roots are in our people from the lower caste to the Billionaire who has one vote. We employ Washington in votes as stockholders of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin proclamation that no form of royal cast will dictate Executive Privilege.

No, we are not doomed, we just need politicians, who walk our streets to feel its heart come alive, not fraternities parties that want to segregate us with a special ticket, so that they call get their five star meal ticket benefits. My ticket was born inside me, and with a divine gift of Free Speech that declares secrecy null and void. That Washington’s closets of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell must account to its people, not to power brokers of green-blooded secret agendas.

We must do our homework, before we commit our troops upon the Truth, not Creative Fiction. That is why it is President Bush’s turn to step up to the plate, for somehow he may the best solution to the insanity that the future may bear if we find no good solution. He avoided the Vietnam War, but this one will draft him to the frontlines for a solution. It is not about being Republican or Democrat, but an American thing that must have all on board for a peaceful solution to the Iraq bloodbath. So blame me if you must, then add the majority of this nation in one way or another. But it is one and one making two multiplied by each state uniting together as a nation than a nation dividing with labels of blame.

I ask all to remember our troops that will be celebrating the holidays away from home. For no matter what party you belong to, I think we can all agree on this one issue, our troops deserve the best wishes from us all. Take a moment to send a Christmas and/or Holiday card (Send an ecard to the troops) to those who shine, the fathers & mothers, sons & daughters, who cannot be home. Let them all know no matter your views on the war, we wish them all back home safe and sound. Let them know we have not, nor ever will forget them, that forever they will be in our hearts.

Merriest Christmas & Happiest Holidays to all


After reading some comments to this thread I thought it might be nice to add some links for those of you that would like to write to our troop (thank you Voxy)

Any Soldier Inc is a great place to get addy of troops to send them a letter or card.

Another one is A Million Thanks, FYI it is religious based, for those that care about that silly stuff ;)

Operation Band Aid it's to show your support for our wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC), Germany.

One more is Annie's "Write to the Troops" Page it has items such as "Thanks a Soldier a week" & "Send Christmas Mail to Our Troops" Page

Remember this is about SUPPORT, not just STUFF!

A LETTER,from you, your children, the kids at church or school, is THE BEST THING to send. A show of personal support is far better than spending a bunch of money that you don't have.

A soldier in Iraq can't see your ribbon,
Or the flag at your front door.
But a letter they hold in their hands,
To them means so much more.


Hope this is a help Voxy

Monday, December 11, 2006

AN ACLU CHRISTMAS POEM

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the nation
Friends of Freedom knew it was a special occasion.
Lady Liberty stood taller just off the shore
Her torch shining brighter than a few weeks before

But it wasn't the flame turning her cheeks all rosy
It was thoughts of Snowe, Feingold and Nancy Pelosi
And leaders from every side of the aisle
Who would soon bring the Bill of Rights back into style.

The Amendments had all hurried out of their beds -
Which was no easy task, they were nearly in shreds -
And they rushed to the window on papery feet
As a jolly old man flew right over their street.

"Could it be!?" they inquired as the roof shook and trembled
And they crept toward the mantle, peaceably assembled,
Just as someone emerged from the chimney with flair
In a shiny red suit, with a shock of white hair
And a top hat, and pants all in red, white and blue -
"Wait a minute," the Amendments exclaimed, "Who are you?"
"Don't be frightened my children," he said, "it's no scam.
"You can't have forgotten your old Uncle Sam!"

"Holy crap!" said Free Speech. "Stop right there!" yelled Bear Arms
And Privacy cried "Who shut off the alarms?!"
The Fifth remained silent, but Uncle Sam said
"We've been having some trouble, but Freedom's not dead.

The Amendments were cautious. "It's just been so long
"We've seen Liberty lost, we've seen so much go wrong.
"The President's trying to mangle and warp us,
"The Fourth is in tatters, so's Habeas Corpus!"

The old man sat down - he had had quite a ride -
But he told them "Don't worry, the Law's on our side,
"'Cause the nation's fed up and more people are crying
"For Justice and an end to illegal spying,

And secret abductions by the CIA,
"And laws that would take women's choices away,
"And Gitmo tribunals and secret detention,
"And other intrusions too numerous to mention - "

"Not so fast," said a grinchity voice from above
And Don Rumsfeld pushed past the Fourteenth with a shove.
He was covered in soot and he looked kind of scary.
It seemed like his Christmas had not been so merry.

The Amendments said they weren't happy to see him:
"You tried to throw all of us in the museum!
"You've done so much the Constitution forbids!"
"And I would have gone on, but for you meddling kids!"

Uncle Sam told him "Rummy, your plans just won't do,
"So we've got a brand new timetable for you!"
And as Rumsfeld retired and crept into the night
The Amendments cried out "Have a good secret flight!"

From the distance they heard him reply with a snort.
"Bye-bye, Rummy!" they answered, "we'll see you in court!"
Uncle Sam rode the chimney up out of the room
And, like Frosty, he said "I'll be back again soon."

But they heard him exclaim "Oh, and just one more thing!
"This year, when the holiday bells start to ring,
"Try to honor religion. Honest faith can't be wrong.
"It's America, can't we all just get along?

"So, on Christian," he cried, "Muslim, Hindu, and Jew!
"On Quaker! On Shaker! And Atheist too!
"On Buddhist! On Taoist! And to show we're not chickens
"We'll file a few lawsuits defending the Wiccans!

"Your belief is your right, so get out there and savor it.
"Uncle Sam's not a preacher, and he doesn't play favorites!"
So this holiday season, whatever you do,
Warmest wishes for Freedom, from the ACLU

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?


As this illegal war in IRAQ has turned into a CIVIL WAR and HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.. I ask.. what will happen next? There are loads of opinions on ending this atrocity, and so many ready to tell EXACTLY what it should be...

This commentary was POWERFUL .. I was impressed that Maj.Gen.Don Shepperd, USAF (Ret.), a CNN military analyst, too, understood how the AMERICANS feel, and how the WORLD sees the USA right now because of a president who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground.

This commentary won't be very popular with those that want this war to continue, but unlike them, the rational people who understand diplomacy, and humanitarianism, cheer for the ending of this savage butchery in IRAQ GWBUSH calls; "A WAR ON TERROR".

Shepperd is right when he says AMERICANS won't stand anymore for sending their kids home in body bags. I AGREE!!!

My comment to this war president is; "Mr.Bush you are an embarrassment."

READ THIS COMMENTARY TO UNDERSTAND HOW AMERICANS FEEL.

HYPOCRISY OVERLOAD

Just listened to a mutual fellatio session where MrArchieBunker and bell_3 declared that the late Augusto Pinochet, the military dictator who tortured and murdered his people, is a hero. But Saddam Hussein is bad, because he's a dictator who tortured and murdered his own people...

Wha???

I feel like I was drugged and woke up in a Kafka novel. I hope those two knuckleheads don't try to pass off their moral outrage card on us in the future, because that motherfucker is declined. I'm willing to cut neonuts some slack as long as we all understand that Saddam was supported by Republican presidents in the past, but once you've expressed your undying devotion to a brutal, homicidal dictator, you're not ever allowed to play the, "Liberals love Saddam," card ever again.

JC

Sunday, December 10, 2006

THE REAL ZOMBIE EXPOSED!

My name is Kenny a.k.a. zombiemaster. I have decided to turn the heat on myself for once and expose the real me for all to see. Why? Because, it never ceases to amaze me how dumb the shadow commenters are. For example, the post about the plans I have for the Rattler in 2007 is all the proof I need to prove that point. Not even 5 mins. later, the first jerkoff opens his big mouth in an act of stupidness. Then 17 more add to the stupidity and all I'm doing here is laughing my ass off. Do you want to know why I am laughing? Allow me the pleasure of explaining it to you all. (I know if I do this, more dumbass comments will come but I don't give a flying fuck because it shows that I can pull their strings anytime I want to!)

The one AP that gets me laughing is the jerk who seems to think he know my personal life. It thinks I'm some psycho when, in truth, I am the most normal guy you could ever meet. It also thinks that my cable was shut off due to me not paying the bill. The truth is we had an outage at the cable company, (got to love Time Warner!) and they fixed it. Unlike the deadbeats I yell at each day of my job, I pay my bills on time and in full each month. Plus, I have nearly $200 a month to spend on my movie collections. Then we have the social issues photographer, who seems to get his kicks on bashing certain people in the SI section of paltalk, I think the reason why he attacks me the most is due to the fact that I fought back. All that jackass needs to do is to say he is sorry for fucking with me and the war is over. Until then, that blog can expect many more attacks from me. The funny thing is that I don't think the writer cares, so in turn neither do I.

It also seems that too many people hate the freedom I have on this blog to do what ever the fuck I want to do. Well, it's too damn bad for you because Jesus won't be pulling the plug on me any time soon, so, just get used to it and either enjoy the posts or go the fuck away. I laugh at this because I love the thought of your complaints falling on deaf ears. I think the people who bitch the most really want to be in my position in the world due to the fact that I am happy with my life. Why shouldn't I be? I've got a loving devoted wife, a house that we are paying for, food, clothes, a few luxuries and we are in control of our lives. My wife and I decided a long time ago not to allow the sorry state of the world affect how we live day to day, because when you break it down, we've still got to get up each day and go to work, pay bills and let the glorified puppets in Washington slug it out.

A lot of people question why I even post on the Rattler. The answer to that, my brain dead friends, is that I use this blog to broadcast to the entire World Wide Web my feelings on matters of the country and the world. The AP's of the world will not shut my big mouth and they only fuel my fire. The same goes for those halfwits at ConservativeThink (there's your "how in the fuck do they claim to be republican and be smart enough to run a blog" moment).

Now, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the other fine writers on the blog for their support and love. You guys rock this house and make this the best site on blogger. I look forward to many more truthful posts and more fun with the hal- dead jackasses out there.

Special note to Jay_156: Republicans suck harder! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FUCK YOU, YOU LITTLE BITCHBOY WHO IS NOT WORTHY ENOUGH TO CLEAN THE DUST OFF MY COMPUTER.

As always, it's been your pleasure.
ZM

Saturday, December 09, 2006

"THE SITUATION IN IRAQ IS GRAVE AND DETERIORATING"

The following is the Executive Summary included in the Iraq Study Group Report. Reading this document illuminates the failure that is George Bush and his illegal, unjustified, poorly planned, badly executed and overall disasterous invasion of Iraq. This report does not begin to address the fact that Bush is responsible for the deaths of nearly 700,000 people - a feat surpassed only by the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot and a few other choice "humanitarians" - and the expenditure of over $1 trillion after all is said and done.

Only after a "thumpin," at the polls in November did the war criminal Bush begin to realize just how much the fool he's been, which explains the flurry of activity to "unstay the course" in Iraq - more activity than we've seen since the war commenced. But alas! The activity is hollow at best. Bush's philosophy is to look busy and involved, and it'll all work out - the typical mindset of a simpleton. He claims to understand the Iraq War Gorilla that the US will pay dearly for, but does he? Given Dim Son's record for being intellectually challenged by simple things, let alone complex organizational and policy issues, one must wonder whether Bush has any inkling of what has happened in Iraq. He resorts to appearances to carry the day; it's how he compensates for being an unsophisticated, unenlightened moron. It explains why he has gone to such great lengths to put lipstick on his pet pig (no, not Laura) - if it looks good, it's good.

This report calls for change - at the expense of another 1,000 - 1,500 dead GIs, another 50,000 dead Iraqi civilians, and untold BILLION$$$$. This report also begs the question: Why so long coming? It took 9 months for the Study Group to figure out what was wrong in Iraq; you have to wonder how much effort went into planning for the mother of all failures! Ironically, all the ills the Study Group found in Iraq were pointed out by Representative John Murtha in his House floor rebuke of Bush's oil-for-blood murderfest.

Anyway, if you haven't read the full report, here's the link:
http://www.usip.org/isg/iraq_study_group_report/report/1206/iraq_study_group_report.pdf


The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved.

In this report, we make a number of recommendations for actions to be taken in Iraq, the United States, and the region. Our most important recommendations call for new and enhanced diplomatic and political efforts in Iraq and the region, and a change in the primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq that will enable the United States to begin to move its combat forces out of Iraq responsibly.

We believe that these two recommendations are equally important and reinforceone another. If they are effectively implemented, and if the Iraqi government moves forward with national reconciliation, Iraqis will have an opportunity for a better future, terrorism will be dealt a blow, stability will be enhanced in an important part of the world, and America’s credibility, interests, and values will be protected.

The challenges in Iraq are complex. Violence is increasing in scope and lethality. It is fed by a Sunni Arab insurgency, Shiite militias and death squads, al Qaeda, and widespread criminality. Sectarian conflict is the principal challenge to stability. The Iraqi people have a democratically elected government, yet it is not adequately advancing national reconciliation, providing basic security, or delivering essential services. Pessimism is pervasive.

If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences could be severe. A slide toward chaos could trigger the collapse of Iraq’s government and a humanitarian catastrophe. Neighboring countries could intervene. Sunni-Shia clashes could spread. Al Qaeda could win a propaganda victory and expand its base of operations. The global standing of the United States could be diminished. Americans could become more polarized.

During the past nine months we have considered a full range of approaches for moving
forward. All have flaws. Our recommended course has shortcomings, but we firmly believe that it includes the best strategies and tactics to positively influence the outcome in Iraq and the region.

External Approach

The policies and actions of Iraq’s neighbors greatly affect its stability and prosperity. No country in the region will benefit in the long term from a chaotic Iraq. Yet Iraq’s neighbors are not doing enough to help Iraq achieve stability. Some are undercutting stability.

The United States should immediately launch a new diplomatic offensive to build an
international consensus for stability in Iraq and the region. This diplomatic effort should include every country that has an interest in avoiding a chaotic Iraq, including all of Iraq’s neighbors. Iraq’s neighbors and key states in and outside the region should form a support group to reinforce security and national reconciliation within Iraq, neither of which Iraq can achieve on its own.

Given the ability of Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage them constructively. In seeking to influence the behavior of both countries, the United States has disincentives and incentives available. Iran should stem the flow of arms and training to Iraq, respect Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and use its influence over Iraqi Shia groups to encourage national reconciliation. The issue of Iran’s nuclear programs should continue to be dealt with by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. Syria should control
its border with Iraq to stem the flow of funding, insurgents, and terrorists in and out of Iraq.

The United States cannot achieve its goals in the Middle East unless it deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict and regional instability. There must be a renewed and sustained commitment by the United States to a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace on all fronts: Lebanon, Syria, and President Bush’s June 2002 commitment to a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. This commitment must include direct talks with, by, and between Israel, Lebanon, Palestinians (those who accept Israel’s right to exist), and Syria.

As the United States develops its approach toward Iraq and the Middle East, the United States should provide additional political, economic, and military support for Afghanistan, including resources that might become available as combat forces are moved out of Iraq.

Internal Approach

The most important questions about Iraq’s future are now the responsibility of Iraqis. The United States must adjust its role in Iraq to encourage the Iraqi people to take control of their own destiny.

The Iraqi government should accelerate assuming responsibility for Iraqi security by
increasing the number and quality of Iraqi Army brigades. While this process is under way, and to facilitate it, the United States should significantly increase the number of U.S. military personnel, including combat troops, imbedded in and supporting Iraqi Army units. As these actions proceed, U.S. combat forces could begin to move out of Iraq.

The primary mission of U.S. forces in Iraq should evolve to one of supporting the Iraqi army, which would take over primary responsibility for combat operations. By the first quarter of 2008, subject to unexpected developments in the security situation on the ground, all combat brigades not necessary for force protection could be out of Iraq. At that time, U.S. combat forces in Iraq could be deployed only in units embedded with Iraqi forces, in rapid-reaction and special operations teams, and in training, equipping, advising, force protection, and search and rescue.
Intelligence and support efforts would continue. A vital mission of those rapid reaction and special operations forces would be to undertake strikes against al Qaeda in Iraq.

It is clear that the Iraqi government will need assistance from the United States for some time to come, especially in carrying out security responsibilities. Yet the United States must make it clear to the Iraqi government that the United States could carry out its plans, including planned redeployments, even if the Iraqi government did not implement their planned changes. The United States must not make an open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of American troops deployed in Iraq.

As redeployment proceeds, military leaders should emphasize training and education of
forces that have returned to the United States in order to restore the force to full combat capability. As equipment returns to the United States, Congress should appropriate sufficient funds to restore the equipment over the next five years.

The United States should work closely with Iraq’s leaders to support the achievement of specific objectives—or milestones—on national reconciliation, security, and governance. Miracles cannot be expected, but the people of Iraq have the right to expect action and progress.

The Iraqi government needs to show its own citizens—and the citizens of the United States and other countries—that it deserves continued support. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in consultation with the United States, has put forward a set of milestones critical for Iraq. His list is a good start, but it must be expanded to include milestones that can strengthen the government and benefit the Iraqi people. President Bush and his national security team should remain in close and frequent contact with the Iraqi leadership to convey a clear message: there must be prompt action by the Iraqi government to make substantial progress toward the achievement of these milestones.

If the Iraqi government demonstrates political will and makes substantial progress toward the achievement of milestones on national reconciliation, security, and governance, the United States should make clear its willingness to continue training, assistance, and support for Iraq’s security forces and to continue political, military, and economic support. If the Iraqi government does not make substantial progress toward the achievement of milestones on national reconciliation, security, and governance, the United States should reduce its political, military, or economic support for the Iraqi government.

Our report makes recommendations in several other areas. They include improvements to
the Iraqi criminal justice system, the Iraqi oil sector, the U.S. reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the U.S. budget process, the training of U.S. government personnel, and U.S. intelligence - capabilities.

Conclusion

It is the unanimous view of the Iraq Study Group that these recommendations offer a new way forward for the United States in Iraq and the region. They are comprehensive and need to be implemented in a coordinated fashion. They should not be separated or carried out in isolation. The dynamics of the region are as important to Iraq as events within Iraq. The challenges are daunting. There will be difficult days ahead. But by pursuing this new way forward, Iraq, the region, and the United States of America can emerge stronger.


JUST FOR THE NEONUTS


Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

New book for neonuts and anonynuts!

"qWagmire for DUMMIES"

The latest and greatest on Iraq War hijinks!

On the shelves now! But you'd better act soon, they're going faster than a Halliburton check to the bank!

...and an added bonus - be at the George W. Bush book signing on 25 Dec 06 in the White House Rose Garden and witness a bit of history where you will see the Smirking Chimp actually scribble his name and hear him wish all the troops he sent to Iraq to die a MERRY CHRISTMAS!


http://www.americanpolitics.com/20061208Koop.html



Friday, December 08, 2006

NO FUCKING PEACE

Damn, my internet goes down for 2 days and all the scumbag posters are in a frenzy. Don't worry, I am back on now with some new tricks to piss you fuckers off more and more. Just wait until the new year starts and then all hell is coming to the Rattler. Yes, you heard me, Hell is coming to the Rattler and the demons I bring with me will burn a lot of people.

Jan. 2007 is going to be a start of something you assholes will never, never forget.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

A LEGACY OF NIGHTMARES



GWBUSH leaves behind a legacy... he wants to leave behind a half a billion (BILLION) dollar library as his legacy.. but instead he shall be remembered for these things;
HALIBURTON
SHOCK & AWE
TORTURE
ILLEGAL WIRETAPPING
HABEAS CORPUS
THE PATRIOT ACT
WMD
MOBILE WEAPONS LABS
ENRON
BACK TO BACK SCANDALS IN THE ADMINISTRATION
KATRINA
9-11
GITMO
OperationIraqiLiberation (O.I.L.)
"STAY THE COURSE"
"AXIS OF EVIL"
"MY PET GOAT"


... I'm sure there are other things he shall be remembered for.. such as the picture on this post comprised of soldiers that have died for HIS war.

Merry Christmas Mr.Bush.

Monday, December 04, 2006

TEACHING THE IDIOTS

In this post I decided to answer my critics.

1. All FEDERAL DIRECT Loans were not forgiven unless the borrower was disabled or has died. So, pay up!

2. We do have the right to garnish wages and affix tax returns for defaulted loans, So, pay up!

3. My bill collection job is not my primary source of income. You guys will never know that information.

4. If you people want to cry over deadbeats, that means you're no better than them!

5.The social issues photographer deserved the chicken shit award he won. It's too bad it didn't come with the ass kicking he so rightly deserves.

6. All the information the commenters said is incorrect and therefore should be ignored. These people have the same mentality as the deadbeats I speak to everyday.

7. And finally, PAY UP! THE MONEY YOU OWE IS OURS. IT IS NOT FOR TRINKETS FOR THE KIDS OF DEADBEATS!

Friday, December 01, 2006

ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT FROM WORK

The hits keep coming and they won't stop just because a few "clueless" assholes raise up a stink about them. You guys can bitch all you want, I ain't stopping.

Today, I had the good fortune to make a deadbeat cry on the phone went I told her about the wage garnishment of $200 each check starting this month. She screamed that she was going to get a lawyer. I calmly explained that it wouldn't help and it would mean more money from her due to the fact that she would have to pay her lawyer's fees and our lawyer's fees. She just about had a meltdown and I enjoyed every fucking moment of it. I guess I can say I earned my $12.00 an hour for that call alone.

I want to take some time and address a few of the comments made by the stupid jackoffs about my earlier post. You guys are wrong. If someone on the phone said to any of us that work in the bill collection department that they would harm us in any way. We do have the right to report them and proper action would be taken. If they write a threatening letter or email, they would be handled. If you don't believe me then i suggest that the next time we call one of you, just try and say something about harming us or our family. Until then, just shut the fuck up.

BTW: It's still our money so please return all the gifts you bought for Jane and Jimmy and send it in to us at once.

ON COMMENTS

If you follow the comments on the blog with any regularity, one thing will become undeniably clear. The conservative/Republican commenters are almost always vulgar, disgusting, hateful and misogynistic. On the liberal side, Eff25 is invariably cordial and rational, isabellah-1 is irreverant and direct, Muse, Michelle, and Frisson are both pleasant and well-informed.

But these numerous, nameless Anonymi generally have nothing of substance to say, and so where reason should be, there is only venom and vitriol. I truly do not know what happened to jay156 in childhood to turn him into the hateful freak he is now, but that kind of pathology generally arises out of an abusive and inconsistent relationship with ones mother. I imagine he also set fires, tortured animals, and wet the bed growing up.

All of this should in no way be construed as my attempting to limit or censor the commenters. I welcome each and every person who wishes to opine on the issues of the day. I just think it's interesting that, for every link a liberal provides, or every cogent argument made, it seems to be met with a conservative calling someone a cunt.

JC

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