Wiiiii-iii-iiillmaaaaa!

Every time i hear the name "Wilma" i can't help but thinking of Fred Flinstone pounding on the door outside his boulder house so Wilma could let him in. He got locked out by Dino, perhaps? I think it was at the end of the opening credits while the theme song played.
Anyway, hurricane Wilma gained strength over night and is now a Category 5:

"Fluctuations in intensity are likely, but Wilma is forecast to remain an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane through Thursday. The projected track of the storm takes it through the Yucatan Channel into the extreme southern Gulf of Mexico Friday. After that, Wilma is expected to come under the influence of westerly winds aloft blowing across the Gulf. That should hurl the hurricane toward the Florida Peninsula, probably the southern part of the peninsula, this weekend. Wilma is expected to be weakening by then, but weakening is a relative term and Wilma may still be a major hurricane (winds over 110 mph) when it makes landfall."

Yikes.

If Fred knew what was on the other side of that door, he would have went over to chill with Barney and Betty, i think.

Cards win! Wow.

DTS says it best: Oh my.

On disappointment:

Baseball is mean -- it'll break your fucking heart. Just as real as when your crush says she wants to be just friends -- your favorite team will fail and you won't see a way past it. It is your permanence. I like to think I've outgrown this, but I remember it so vividly. Sometimes I hope my son never falls in love with baseball so that he'll never experience this feeling.

On elation:

Pujols smashed it and I leap off the floor squealing like a schoolgirl who just found out Johnny likes her likes her. I hear our bedroom door open upstairs and know that my wife was watching. She rushes down the stairs and I hear her "oh my God, did you see, did you see?" We hug, jump up and down, express our disbelief, our great fortune.

Read on...

Monday Morning Link Dump

Troops Relax With Musical Pillow Yeah, but is it bulletproof?
School is in for future exorcists Among the required materials for the class: 16 oz. bottle of Pope’s Choice Devil-Be-Gone® Filtered Holy Water; Tiffany ® Solid Gold Crucifix; Parker Bros. Ouija Board ®.
Bush: “God would tell me, ‘George, go and end the tyrrany in Iraq,’ and I did.” Sounds like our president needs an exorcist.
More guns, less laws for everyone in Alaska!
Senator Ted Kennedy helps rescue citizens stranded by flood waters
Calling Dr. Scholl… Couple completes 4,900 mile walk.
Latest get-rich-quick scheme for the tinfoil hat crowd: Capture Big Foot, get a million dollars
Hormones, Prozac, other biosolids in US water supply No wonder I’ve been feeling vaguely content and unpregnant lately.
Man Coughs Up Screw After Operation Scalpel still missing.
Harriett Miers gets a makeover
Bush Administration using soldiers as propagandists. Sounds like something dirty commies would do.
Bush braces for hurricane Fitz-Miers

Scotty McClellan very testy today

Helen Thomas, a 57-year veteran correspondent with UPI asked White House Spokesperson Scotty McClellan what Bush meant by "total victory" in Iraq. Fair question, right? Snotty gets defensive, says he is sure Helen "is opposed to the broader war on terrorism." ABC's Terry Moran jumps in and defends Helen. Here's the exchange:

HELEN: What does the President mean by "total victory" -- that we will never leave Iraq until we have "total victory"? What does that mean?
MR. McCLELLAN: Free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East, because a free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions --
HELEN: If they ask us to leave, then we'll leave?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm trying to respond. A free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the broader Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions of al Qaeda and their terrorist associates. They want to establish or impose their rule over the broader Middle East -- we saw that in the Zawahiri letter that was released earlier this week by the intelligence community.
HELEN: They also know we invaded Iraq.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Helen, the President recognizes that we are engaged in a global war on terrorism. And when you're engaged in a war, it's not always pleasant, and it's certainly a last resort. But when you engage in a war, you take the fight to the enemy, you go on the offense. And that's exactly what we are doing. We are fighting them there so that we don't have to fight them here. September 11th taught us --
HELEN: It has nothing to do with -- Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, you have a very different view of the war on terrorism, and I'm sure you're opposed to the broader war on terrorism. The President recognizes this requires a comprehensive strategy, and that this is a broad war, that it is not a law enforcement matter.
Terry.
TERRY: On what basis do you say Helen is opposed to the broader war on terrorism?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, she certainly expressed her concerns about Afghanistan and Iraq and going into those two countries. I think I can go back and pull up her comments over the course of the past couple of years.
TERRY: And speak for her, which is odd.
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I said she may be, because certainly if you look at her comments over the course of the past couple of years, she's expressed her concerns --
HELEN: I'm opposed to preemptive war, unprovoked preemptive war.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- she's expressed her concerns.

And with that, the subject shifts to the President's latest lame attempt at PR.
Notice how Scotty backtracks, claiming that he said she may be against the broader war on terrorism, when everyone in the room heard him say "I'm sure you're opposed to the broader war on terrorism." First of all, what an dick! Secondly, did he think he could get away with it? It's Scotty's job to not make news from that podium, but he sure did today by apparently channeling Ann Coulter. What a dick.
*****************************
In case you missed Keith Olbermann last night, click here to read about the 13 Coincidences.

What to watch on TV tonite...

Tonite is Game One of the National League Championship Series featuring the mighty St. Louis Cardinals versus the Houston Astros. Why those dummies would name their team after a cartoon dog is beyond me, but they're from Texas, thus they think they can do whatever the funk they want. Bully for them, but it won't help them win this crazy thing.

The Cards have had three days' rest since they finished their sweep of the Padres late Saturday nite. The RAstros needed a home run in the bottom of the 18th inning in game 4 of their Division Series Sunday nite, sending the Braves to their tee times after the longest playoff game ever. They are working on only two days of rest and are feeling quite sure of themselves.

Tonite the Cards send out their ace right hander Chris Carpenter (22-5, 2.83 ERA reg. season) against Houston's Andy Pettite (17-9, 2.39 ERA reg. season), a lefty. Although this is a rematch of last year's NLCS, neither of these pitchers played in last year's series that the Cardinals won in 7 games. Pettite was recovering from surgery and Carpenter was out with a biceps injury.

With the RAstros coming off an emotional high with their draaaaammaaaaaaaaaaatiiiiic win over the Braves i would expect them to come out smokin' and get a coupla runs early. The Cards have had an easier time in their Division Series, so they might be caught on their heels a bit. The Redbirds will need everything in their arsenal to win this series - solid starting pitching, unlikely heroes, timely hitting, a reliable bullpen and all the things that a good "small ball" team does to manufacture runs in tight games - because runs will be at a premium in the games played at Busch Stadium. Once they get to MinuteMaid Park for game 3 Saturday, who the heck knows? The series could bust wide open in the hitter-friendly park and be up for grabs. That's why the Cards need to take care of games one and two while they are at home in front of very pumped and sentimental fans who are hoping that Busch Stadium remains open until at least October 26.
My bold prediction for the NLCS: Partly cloudy and mild with 10-15 mph breeze and 20% chance of rain. No hurricanes. Oh, and the Cardinals in 6.
****************************************************

May i also encourage you to check out Countdown with Keith Olbermann tonite?

OLBERMANN: Last Thursday, we spoke of at least 13 coincidences of timing between bad political news for the government and a terror or terror-related event. We will be presenting a special report detailing those and other coincidences on Wednesday night's edition of this news hour, "The Nexus of Politics and Terror" on COUNTDOWN this Wednesday at 8:00 (7pm Central) and midnight Eastern (11pm Central) here on MSNBC.

I have mentioned this very subject back in May, and the point is possibly even more valid today, with our hapless, hopeless and helpless Leader using tired old tricks and half-hearted public appearances to try and save his flailing presidency. i seriously don't think he likes playing "president" anymore and he just wants to go home and bite his pilllow, legacy be damned.

Keith's show airs at 7pm Central on MSNBC, while the first pitch of the Cards game is at 7:20pm Central on FX. i'll tune in to the first 20 minutes of Countdown, then turn it over to the NLCS. i can do without all the pre-game branding and network packaging that goes with these series. [STFU already and just show the freakin' game! aaarrgghpfphppfpp!!] Later at 11pm Central, MSNBC replays the Countdown in case i/you miss it the first time. Sound like a plan? Sweet. Type at ya tomorrow...

"An American in Chains": James Yee's Gitmo experience as an Army captain and prisoner

An important article from the TimesOnlineUK.

James Yee entered Guantanamo as a patriotic US officer and Muslim chaplain. He ended up in shackles, branded a spy. This is his disturbing story. [snip] I was accused of mutiny and sedition, aiding the enemy and espionage, all of which carried the death penalty. I was regarded as a traitor to the army and my country. This was all blatantly untrue — as would be proved when, after a long fight, all the charges against me were dropped and I won an honourable discharge from the army. [snip] My real “crime” had been that I had tried to ensure that the suspected Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters detained in the Gitmo cages were given every opportunity to practise their religion freely, one of the most fundamental of American ideals.

Read the whole article.

James Yee's book, For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire is available here.

Tag: James Yee

Why does Senator Kit Bond love torture?

The US Senate approves detainee treatment rules

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Senate faces a confrontation with the House over a $440 billion military spending bill that, despite White House opposition, would impose restrictions on the treatment of terrorism suspects.
Delivering a rare wartime slap at Pentagon authority and President Bush, the GOP-controlled Senate voted 90-9 on Wednesday to back an amendment that would prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in U.S. government custody, regardless of where they are held.

Nine senators - nine! - voted against this amendment, including the Show-Me State's own Christopher "Kit" Bond. i guess he thinks it's okay to torture detainees, thus giving our enemies and their allies further casus belli. You can email Mr. Bond here. Be sure to ask him for an explanation why he loves emboldening our enemies and hates America.

BTW, everyone knows by now that Dubya sucks, but is the AP piling on? i love how the AP says the US Senate delivered "a rare wartime slap at Pentagon authority and President Bush..." i have noticed that some of their stories have been a bit sassy toward W lately. i guess they are tired of being lied to for four and a half years, too.

tag: Kit Bond

DeLay's carousel of concealed cash benefits the Blunts

Hat tip to A Lie A Day Blog. DeLay's greasy tentacles seem to reach everywhere.
From the Associated Press:

By JOHN SOLOMON and SHARON THEIMER
Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tom DeLay deliberately raised more money than he needed to throw parties at the 2000 presidential convention, then diverted some of the excess to longtime ally Roy Blunt through a series of donations that benefited both men's causes.

When the financial carousel stopped, DeLay's private charity, the consulting firm that employed DeLay's wife and the Missouri campaign of Blunt's son all ended up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into the picture.

Read the rest of the article.
Even Jack Abramoff is involved in this one. The GOP Culture of Corruption knows no bounds.

So Much Malfeasance, So Little Time...

How do the Repugnicans get away with so much? Maybe it's cuz they do so much that it's impossible to keep track of it all. It is difficult for those of us who care to keep our heads from spinning as a new scandal comes down the pike pert near daily. These people have serious issues and an appalling lack of shame. Remember, this is the "family values" and "compassionate conservative" crowd espousing their "faith-based" style of government. Hypocrites, all of them.

Here are a few links to help you catch up on some of the various aspersions that spell t-r-o-u-b-l-e for the GOP. These articles will provide you with enough facts and reality-based perspective to counter Republican talking points as the Radical Right Wingers recite them. You can now yell, "bullshit!!" at fascists like Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity on the TV with full confidence. You're welcome.

PERRspectives Blog: Banana Republicans Misdeeds of the miscreants.

BeyondDeLay.org: 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress Guess who is first on their list? One Mr. Roy Blunt (R-MO).

Salon.com: The Scandal Sheet - 34 Scandals of the first four years of BushCo that are worse than whitewater.

Enjoy!

DeLay indicted!

Holy. Crap.


Now Roy Blunt (R-MO) is the temporary House Majority Leader. He's as ethically challenged as DeLay, really. WTF are the Repugnicans thinking? Why choose one of DeLay's henchmen? Not to mention he'll make us Missourians look like a buncha mouth-breathin', knuckle-draggin', Bible-thumpin', flag-wavin', pick'emup truck drivin' simps like the Blunts.

I'm forecasting a Category 5 shitstorm headed straight to Capitol Hill that won't relent until November 2006 - if the opposition party can capitalize on these scandals. Rove, Frist, Cunningham, Brownie? What a mess. I guess it's true: "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." Time to throw the bums out.

POTUS vs. BabelFish, Round 2

The President of the United States spoke 09/26/05 at the Energy Department about hurricane effects on the energy supply. As i have done before, i will take some choice snippets of the President "speaking" and use Alta Vista's BabelFish to translate them to German. Then i will translate them from German back to English and see what happens. Keep in mind that the orignial snippets are real. Thanks to First Draft for pointing out which snippets to use.
On GA Governor Pudue's leadership:"Governor Perdue of Georgia I thought did a -- showed some leadership by saying we've got to -- anticipating a problem, here's what we need to do to correct it."
BabelFish Translation: "Automatic controller Perdue Georgia I of the thought did to A -- somewhat saying guidance showed by us has -- a problem anticipating to be repaired is here, which we must do, in order it." The translation almost works better than W's original.
Georgie Babble on EPA regulation:"And so while there's a shortfall because of down refining capacity, we will work with -- we have instructed EPA to leave the rules in place, or to suspend the rules that were in place, keep the suspension in place, which would make it easier to increase supply, and continue to get supply of gasoline here."
BabelFish:"And in such a way, while there is a deficit because of down the refining ability, we cooperate -- we instructed EPA, in order to leave the guidelines in the place, or, to shift the guidelines those in the place, hold the abolition in the place were simpler, for that it to increase form supplying material and would drive away to receive supplying material here gasoline." Exactly!
GDub said this about local officials: "I look forward to dealing with local -- talking to local leaders about what -- the situation and the problems they face."
Translation regarding natives: "I make to employ native ones -- speaking with local leaders about which -- the situation and the problems happy, which confront her."
Tha Prez on learnin' expectations : "And, therefore, we've got to have high standards and high expectations and focus money on Title I children to teach -- so that they -- so that children can learn to read." Yeah, someone needs to learn to read.
The BabelFish responds: "And therefore we have to have the high standards and high expectations and focus money on children of the title I, which can be informed, -- with it them -- thereby children to learn can read."
Our Dear Leader says stop dreaming and clean up the mess!: "I mean, when I go down to Mississippi, I appreciate the vision that they're beginning to think about, but my first priority was to help those local folks remove debris. And then the next question is, what do we do with the debris once it's removed."
Tranlation please: "I mean, if I go down to Mississippi, I estimate the sight, which they begin to think approximately but my first priority should help those local peoples to remove arrears. And then the following question, which we do with the arrears, is once, which it is removed."

To say that i am easily amused would be an understatement. Or, To say that I will easily maintain a Untertreibung would be.

This is cool..

Click here. Use your mouse to manipulate the falling prez.
Thanks to Crooks & Liars for the link.

Pat Tillman: Patriot, soldier, hero. Oh, and was totally against Bush and the Iraq war.

Hat tip to AmericaBlog for pointing me to this post at The Cunning Realist: "Anatomy of a Disgrace," which quotes the SF Chronicle's article detailing Tillman's family's struggle to get to the truth about his death. The US military has been lying about the circumstances surrounding his death by friendly fire in Afghanistan and politicians exploited his "heroism" for their selfish purposes. Turns out, Pat Tillman was killed by military incompetence and he hated Bush and was against the war in Iraq. Here's an account from Spc. Russell Baer, sho served with Tillman and was next to him when he died:

“I can see it like a movie screen,” Baer said. “We were outside of (a city in southern Iraq) watching as bombs were dropping on the town. We were at an old air base, me, Kevin and Pat, we weren’t in the fight right then. We were talking. And Pat said, ‘You know, this war is so f— illegal.’ And we all said, ‘Yeah.’ That’s who he was. He totally was against Bush.” Another soldier in the platoon, who asked not to be identified, said Pat urged him to vote for Bush’s Democratic opponent in the 2004 election, Sen. John Kerry.

This war is so wrong. Don't believe me? Try this. Absolutely disgusting.

"KatRita" update from a friend in the midst of it all

My friend, DTS forwarded a message to me from our friend Chris, who is once again volunteering for the Red Cross. Chris did some heroic stuff for the Red Cross in the aftermath of 9-11. Now he is efforting the recovery after Katrina and finds himself bracing in anticipation of Rita...

Howdy, folks -

Just a quick update on my whereabouts and doings. I'm still managing a shelter for the Red Cross here in Larose, Louisiana, about 45 miles west of New Orleans ...... a shelter whose population nearly doubled to 150 today in what me and the 13-member Red Cross crew I'm heading (10 mass care staff/3 nurses) are now referring to as our "KatRita" deployment. I've been in Louisiana for almost three weeks now; two weeks at this location with brief stints in Baton Rouge, Houma, and Grand Isle, Louisiana. This area is currently under a voluntary evacuation order for Hurricane Rita and after much talk of evacuating, we have now hunkered down here in the Larose Civic Center to ride out the storm. The Pennsylvania National Guard made a heroic entrance earlier in the evening with two gigantic, Mad Max lookin' trucks full of MREs which were unloaded by an impressive and efficient chain of military guys, Red Cross volunteers and shelter residents in record time. We were already loaded down with water and the building has a generator fueled to run for more than a week once we lose standard power. Our cable television and Red Cross satellite phones and internet access are holding up through the first squalls as we've experienced brief, intense outbursts of wind and rain, with the phones and 'net likely to remain constant as long as we can keep the dish out back from blowing over or away. At this point, we've been told to expect tropical storm force winds for 24 or more hours but every inch eastward you see the landfall projections move, the more intense things will get around here. The worst of it should hit just after midnight Friday night/Saturday morning so we're expecting our currently well-behaved population to surge further toward the Civic Center's maximum sheltering capacity of 300 or 400. Sounds like a party, no!!?!! So here I am ..... split three ways between feeling like I can really help here and all is well, wanting to be in the safe comfort of home with my kitties as I fear what's in store, and just loving the adrenaline rush of riding out this major storm and historical event. Regardless of my spin on it, we're here to stay now. I'm on my third set of plane reservations as I vacillated between trying to get out in advance of the storm and trying to project a safe time after it will have passed. My current schedule to fly out of Baton Rouge on Saturday will almost certainly need to be altered once again. Meanwhile, it should be an interesting ride!!

Hope you're all well. Check in if/when you can -

--Chris--

Godspeed to Chris. Stay safe.

The Bush Administration and the "F" word..Zogby and the "I" word

Tip o' the hat to Crooks & Liars for pointing me to this article by Marshall Auerback, blogger at PrudentBear, containing the following observation:

The reconstruction of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama provides a fascinating picture of how the Bush administration actually works. His government represents an odd melding of corporatism and cronyism, more in tune with the workings of 1930s Italy or Spain. In fact, if one looks at fascist regimes of the 20th century, it is appears that the Bush administration draws more from these sources than traditional conservatism. Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:
1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.
6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8. Religion and Government are intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9. Corporate Power is protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10. Labor Power is suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.
12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

(Source: The Fourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism, Dr. Lawrence Britt, Spring 2003, Free Inquiry)

Has anyone else noted this connection? You betcha.

####

Pollster John Zogby says he will only poll America about their support for Bush's impeachment again if the price is right or if the question is raised by congress. Here is Zogby's article dated June 30, 2005 showing the results of the first time the question was asked of Americans: 42% of those polled said that "if it is found that President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should hold him accountable through impeachment." 42% seems to me to be a big number, but proving that Bush "did not tell the truth" about reasons to destroy Iraq would be difficult, given that no one has ever "proven" that he actually knows what he is saying when he addresses the nation. And of course it would all depend on what your definintion of "truth" is.
In June, Mr. Zogby said he would pose the impeachment question "probably in a month from now" on Countdown with Keith Olbermann. An Austrailian blog called Wot Is It Good 4 has been corresponding with Zogby on this matter since August, and has gotten the run-around from Zogby's peeps. Karl Rove has gotten to them, apparently, so don't look for the "I" word to come up any time soon.