Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

Feeling Oh-So-Modern Today!

This Modern World
Of the 10.5 Democrats who voted in favor of giving President Bush the powers of a despot, 5.5 are running for reelection. Since these men are all in heated election battles, I think it’s only fair that we get to know them and maybe get a better idea of why they stabbed their party and their country in the back.

What?

You’re still not reading This Modern World?

You need to get with the program, friend. What’s not to love about a website reporting that Senator Joe Lieberman is half Democrat and half douchebag? (Though, actually, I’d argue that calling Lieberman a douchebag is an insult to those noble — and useful — instruments of feminine hygiene.)

Crazy

Bush Both Attacks, Defends on Iraq – washingtonpost.com
“The greatest danger is not that America’s presence in Iraq is drawing new recruits to the terrorist cause,” [Bush] said. “The greatest danger is that an American withdrawal from Iraq would embolden the terrorists and help them find new recruits to carry out even more destructive attacks on the American homeland.”

Gee… how much bolder could they get than to fly frigging jets into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon???

Believe it, folks. If they could get their grubby little mitts on atomic weapons, the very bad guys would already be using them. The war in Iraq has nothing — NOTHING — to do with the bad guys’ resolve to do evil. What the war in Iraq affects is the number of bad guys who are willing to sign up for the job. The war in Iraq is helping to create those “new recruits” Bush is so worried about.

And, just in case anyone’s forgotten — not a single one of the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 was from Iraq. NOT A SINGLE ONE.

Bush is either insane or he’s so totally in denial about how badly he’s fucked up this whole “war in Iraq” thing that he can’t or won’t face the truth — truth that’s been spelled out in an intelligence report put together by his own people. The war — a questionable undertaking to begin with (at best) — has been completely botched. Our presence in Iraq has destabilized that country to the point of civil war. It’s simply astonishing that Bush and his lackeys refuse to recognize the obvious facts.

After a point, though, astonishment really does turn into fear. Bush’s delusional state begins to seem…well…psychotic.

He’s a danger to himself and to others. Can’t someone do something?

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And, no, I’m not suggesting violence. What I had in mind was something a little more democratic: impeachment.

This Just Scares Me

Press Conference of the President

Q Is the tide turning in Iraq?

THE PRESIDENT: I think — tide turning — see, as I remember — I was raised in the desert, but tides kind of — it’s easy to see a tide turn — did I say those words?

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Many thanks to the Journal at the Dana’s Resort web site for turning me on to this awe-inspiring quote. I’ve got a feeling the folks who run Dana’s are pretty okay after all.

All Recipes

I just discovered this handy site: All Recipes. One of the things I especially like about it is that there’s a feature for scaling the recipes so they’ll serve however many people you need to feed. Slick!

The recipe I was looking for — and found — is right here: Waldorf Salad with Walnut Oil Vinaigrette. See, I’ve got this walnut oil I purchased at Wegman’s and I’ll probably never use it all before it goes stale unless I figure out some other things to do with it. (I originally purchased it as something to drizzle lightly over a pureed bean soup I made. Mmm…) Anyway. Walnut oil vinaigrette. Easy. Yummy. I like the idea of this recipe, too, because it’s not the usual heavier version with mayonnaise (which Mark wouldn’t eat anyway.)

Don’t Just Sit There, Do Something

Act Now for the America We Believe In — AIUSA
Recently the Supreme Court struck down the President’s Military Commissions and restored minimum Geneva Conventions protections to people in US custody, but now the President has asked Congress to authorize military commissions proceedings similar to those that were struck down. In addition, the President has asked Congress to codify the indefinite detention regime and to provide immunity for the CIA, civilian contractors, and Administration officials who may have violated the War Crimes Act. Act urgently to tell Congress to uphold fair trials and ensure those involved in human rights abuses are held accountable.

Just click on the link above. A new window will open where you can quickly and easily send email to your federal senator(s) and representative(s) telling them SAY NO TO TORTURE.

Same Old, Same Old

I tell you, I look at that picture and I want to just slap the living shit out of the prick.

Disclaimer for the poor schlub whose job it is to wade through the gazillions of internet postings mentioning potential violence to Fearless Leader: No, I am not a violent person. No, I’m not going to actually track down Bush and slap him. No, I’m not associated with al-Qaida in any way. And aren’t you embarrassed to be working for an administration that’s brought your once-noble dreams down to this? To looking under the “Great Man’s” bed every night so you can assure him there are, in fact, no boogiemen hiding there?

It’s all just more of the same.

At war, in denial | Salon.com
Within months of the invasion, in August and November, the CIA station chief in Baghdad wrote urgent reports (called “aardwolfs”) detailing how U.S. missteps had destabilized Iraq and fueled the insurgency. When Bush was briefed he was furious, not at the blunders or those committing them but at the CIA chief for having the insolence to catalog them. “What is he, some kind of defeatist?” Bush said. Soon, the station chief was replaced.”

This Morning’s DanaCam Fix

Some day I’ll have to actually go to Au Train, Michigan and rent the “Crow’s Nest Cottage” (that’s what they call the cabin where the DanaCam is mounted) and stand in front of the DanaCam and have my picture taken there.

Some day.

Maybe the Dana’s people will give me a week at the cabin for all the free publicity I give them.

Beam Me Up

Greg Saunders over at This Modern World has written a really fine essay about the state of the Democratic party and the likelihood that even if the Dems win this November, not a goddamned thing will really change. It’s enough to make a person want to move to New Zealand.

Destroying The Party To Save It
The biggest flaw in the blogosphere’s enthusiasm for the prospect of the Democrats taking over the House and/or Senate is the notion that the Democrats are suddenly going to grow a spine. It’s not gonna happen. Do you really think they’ll view as a mandate their change from a slight minority party to a slight majority party the way the GOP has arrogantly asserted with their recent electoral wins? Investigations, subpoena power, etc. sound awesome, but we’re talking about the same people who we have to beg to oppose torture.

Fear of “The Other”

States, Counties Begin to Enforce Immigration Law – washingtonpost.com
The House earlier this month was weighing a measure “reaffirming” the authority of local law enforcement agencies to arrest people on suspicion of violating immigration laws.

I can tell you exactly where all this freaked-out attitude towards illegal immigrants is coming from. It’s because of 9/11 — and it’s because of the Bush administration’s inflammatory rhetoric about terrorists and “threat levels”.

It’s got lots of people unnecessarily scared and, because they can’t relieve their fear by finding and exporting really dangerous terrorists, they take it out on the hapless day laborers and minimum-wage workers.

It’s like how a frightened dog will snap at even the hand that feeds it. (Or that makes its Taco Bell burrito.)

Sad stuff, I’m telling you.

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Addendum: And just what, pray tell, are going to be the criteria for “suspicion of violating immigration laws”?? Surely, it will have to be more than just being “hispanic-looking” or working as a day laborer. Surely. Won’t it?

A Musical Quiz

Good morning, contestants!

Guess what Dave Brubeck Quartet tune has been running through my head pretty much non-stop since I began working on a flute quartet arrangement of it yesterday?

I’ll give you a hint:

Tuna, Tuna, Tuna, Anchovy
Tuna, Tuna, Tuna, Anchovy
Tuna, Tuna, Tuna, Anchovy
Anchovy, Anchovy, Anchovy.