What? Is it 1984 already? (Boy, I had the weirdest dream...)

TUESDAY JULY 3, 2007

UPDATE: Two years ago, I stopped writing about politics because it wasn't doing any good, and it depressed the hell out of me. Yet, since 2005, there have been a lot of positive signs that the "liberties" (pun-intended) the Bush Administration took with our Constitution are coming to light and finally being denounced by politicians and the media. I only hope that this dark period in American moral history will be correctly blamed on George W., the racist Religious Right, and the power-mad Neo-Cons who helped him steal the election in 2004. Fingers crossed.

TUESDAY JULY 12, 2005

I'm feeling better about this whole Karl Rove thing. I thought he was gonna get off Scott-free like every other war criminal in America (aka, the Bush Administration). But I've been seeing rumblings of some traction with the Media. Even some balls on their part. Reporters seem once again to be calling the White House's bullshit. Let's hope this is a trend, it might just result in a free press again. Not that I expect Rove to go down for this, he's far too well connected. Still, if we can give him some sleepless nights for all the hell and death he has caused in the world today, well, that's something. Maybe we can make him do community service for a few months. Like, say, over in Iraq.

TUESDAY JULY 5, 2005

Oh, and in other news, Karl Rove is a traitor. I wonder if he knew "outing" a CIA agent during wartime is treason and punishable by execution in the United States? Sucks to be Karl.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 1, 2005

For some reason, this "smoking gun" memo isn't getting the press it so richly deserves. Undisputed by the British government, it basically says that, in July 23, 2002, Bush manipulated intelligence to justify his plan to invade Iraq. "There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy." So, does THAT finally make him officially a liar?

WEDNESDAY MAY 25, 2005

The news is trustworthy and incorruptable, right? This from Adage.com: "Days after financial services giant Morgan Stanley informed print publications that its ads must be automatically pulled from any edition containing "objectionable editorial coverage," global energy giant BP has adopted a similar press strategy....ad-accepting publications [must] inform BP in advance of any news text or visuals they plan to publish that directly mention the company, a competitor or the oil-and-energy industry."

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WEDNESDAY MAY 18, 2005

I got this in an email from an unknown source: "They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it's worked for over 200 years and we're not using it anymore."

SATURDAY JANUARY 1, 2005

Wal-mart, always low tactics! From a recent article in The Nation: "...observe[d] that appealing to the poor was "Sam Walton's real genius. He figured out how to make money off of poverty. He located his first stores in poor rural areas and discovered a real market. The only problem with the business model is that it really needs to create more poverty to grow." That problem is cleverly solved by creating more bad jobs worldwide.

In a chilling reversal of Henry Ford's strategy, which was to pay his workers amply so they could buy Ford cars, Wal-Mart's stingy compensation policies--workers make, on average, just over $8 an hour, and if they want health insurance, they must pay more than a third of the premium--contribute to an economy in which, increasingly, workers can only afford to shop at Wal-Mart.

To make this model work, Wal-Mart must keep labor costs down. It does this by making corporate crime an integral part of its business strategy. Wal-Mart routinely violates laws protecting workers' organizing rights (workers have even been fired for union activity). It is a repeat offender on overtime laws; in more than thirty states, workers have brought wage-and-hour class-action suits against the retailer.

In some cases, workers say, managers encouraged them to clock out and keep working; in others, managers locked the doors and would not let employees go home at the end of their shifts. And it's often women who suffer most from Wal-Mart's labor practices. /Dukes v. Wal-Mart/, which is the largest civil rights class-action suit in history, charges the company with systematically discriminating against women in pay and promotions ."

California Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, who represents the 22nd Assembly District and is a former mayor of Mountain View, was outraged when she learned ... that Wal-Mart was encouraging its workers to apply for public assistance, "in the middle of the worst state budget crisis in history!" California had a $38 billion deficit at the time, and Lieber was enraged that taxpayers would be subsidizing Wal-Mart's low wages, bringing new meaning to the term "corporate welfare."

Lieber was angry, too, that Wal-Mart's welfare dependence made it nearly impossible for responsible employers to compete with the retail giant. It was as if taxpayers were unknowingly funding a massive plunge to the bottom in wages and benefits--quite possibly their own. She held a press conference in July 2003, to expose Wal-Mart's welfare scam. The Wal-Mart documents--instructions explaining how to apply for food stamps, Medi-Cal (the state's healthcare assistance program) and other forms of welfare--were blown up on posterboard and displayed.

Wal-Mart spokespeople have denied that the company encourages employees to collect public assistance, but the documents speak for themselves. They bear the Wal-Mart logo, and one is labeled "Wal-Mart: Instructions for Associates." Both documents instruct employees in procedures for applying to "Social Service Agencies."

Most Wal-Mart workers I've interviewed had co-workers who worked full time for the company and received public assistance, and some had been in that situation themselves. Public assistance is very clearly part of the retailer's cost-cutting strategy. (It's ironic that a company so dependent on the public dole supports so many right-wing politicians who'd like to dismantle the welfare state.)

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2004

Here's a great article on how America is fast becoming the greatest Fascist regime the world has ever known. In the words of Benito Mussolini, "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power." Well done, Republicans. I look forward to witnessing the impending civil war you will cause.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2004

Just got a very funny email that attacks the ridiculousness of the Religious Right. I have no idea who wrote it, but it's probably okay to copy it and pass it along to friends. The Religious Right are growing far too influential in this country. And they need to be derailed. Don't think they're anything more than a bunch of intolerant cranks? Read about the Rise of The Religious Right and be afraid. Be very afraid.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2004

Just how looney do you have to be to get pushed out by the looney Neo-Cons? John Ashcroft looney. And that, my friends, is pretty damn looney. Glad to see that this McCarthy-era throwback got thrown back. Small consolation for the Patriot Act's impingement on America's civil liberties, but you take what you can get.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2004

Wow, I learned a lot about Americans today. 1.) We're afraid of gays. 2.) We're in love with the Lord. And 3.) I'm a white male and a minority. Well, now I'm glad Bush is screwing the poor. They're the ignorants who voted for him. Screw them. And screw the Religious Wrong. I want my Constitution back. Or I'm moving to Canada.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 12, 2004

Today, Doonesbury pointed me to an article by a Wall Street Journal...um, journalist, about how the war is going in Iraq. Interesting reading.

Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and...the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

MONDAY OCTOBER 11, 2004

Today, Doonesbury pointed me to an article where John Eisenhower explains why the son of Dwight Eisenhower—one of the nation's finest Republicans—has decided to endorse John Kerry for president. Wow.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 8, 2004

Even Bush's hometown newspaper—who endorsed him four years ago—has turned their backs on George and his "smoke-screened agenda."

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2004

This is for all those Republicans who support Bush for partisan reasons.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2004

This is for all those Republicans who think Bush represents their conservative interests. The source is none other than the Cato Institute, a Republican think-tank created to further the cause. But even they are appalled at Bush's rampant spending. Suck on it, Bushies.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2004

Wow, you know something is wrong in the world when you start agreeing with Pat Buchanan. In his new book, Where the Right Went Wrong: How Neoconservatives Subverted the Reagan Revolution and Hijacked the Bush Presidency, he blasts the Neo-Cons and Bush administration for going to war, bad trade policies and just about everything else. PAT BUCHANAN! Isn't Pat Buchanan making sense one of the signs of the Apocalypse? What's next? Bill Gates embracing Linux?

THURSDAY AUGUST 27, 2004

Great article on how the press is falling down on the job by not questioning the talking points of the Bush admininstration, subsequently allowing their outright distortions appear to be truth in the eyes of the average person who can't take the time to research them.

MONDAY AUGUST 23, 2004

Run, do not walk, to your nearest magazine stand and pick up the September issue of Harper's Magazine. Inside, you will find many fascinating articles about the screw job Bush and the Neo-Cons were trying to install in Iraq. Highly recommended, especially for blind-faith Republicans who still believe Bush represents GOP values in any way, shape or form.

THURSDAY AUGUST 19, 2004

Oops. Looks like The Swift Boat Veterans For Truth got caught in another lie. Not only did just ONE of the SBVfT's actually serve with Kerry, but it now looks as though that man's own record of the event refutes the group's major criticism of Kerry. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't believe John Kerry will be a great President. I don't think he will be a good President. He may actually be a bad President. Possibly even a horrible President. But he damn sure won't be the worst President.

THURSDAY AUGUST 2, 2004

Considering Walmart's predatory business practices and locally destructive effects, it shouldn't come as a surprise that they support our favorite warmongering non-combatant, George W. Bush. I guess it makes sense that a business catering to America's non-rich, uses its political clout ($$$) to keep its customers that way. Ironically, Walmart is viewed by many Americans as a hero, but the company is really an oppressor. (They even take out mandatory life insurance policies on their own employees with Walmart as the beneficiary.) Costco, on the other hand, helps the non-rich buy luxury products and uses its profits to support the political party most likely to help its customers.

MONDAY JULY 12, 2004

We went to see Michael Moore's Farenheit 9/11 last night at the old Burlingame Century Hyatt theater. It's supposed to be a great old classic theater, but it could have fooled us. Still, the movie was perhaps more disappointing. Despite the arguable "embellishments" Mr. Moore uses to portray George as an idiot (redundant, in my opinion), the movie is nonetheless a disturbing look at the Yale graduate running the most powerful country in the world. Perhaps the most disturbing comment from George W., is when talking to a group of the moneyed elite, he jokes that they are "The Haves and The Have Mores" (on camera, no less). What gall. He closes by telling the crowd they are "his base". In other words, the man elected to represent the American people doesn't give a rat's ass about them. And certainly not the poor people (thanks to his "jobless recovery") who are out fighting and dying to make the Haves into "Have Even Mores". All he really cares about is currying favor with the Upper Upper Upper Class. Proving once again, that it's all about the Benjamins. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act. And a few years later he wrote: "I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated Governments in the civilized world no longer a Government by free opinion, no longer a Government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a Government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men." That was 91 years ago. Things are better now, right?

WEDNESDAY JULY 7, 2004

"Be vewy, vewy quiet. We're hunting scapegoats." Ah, yes. It seems the self-described morally superior are rearing their ugly, purple heads again, this time championing an unconstitutional War on Pornography, as if that were the cause of all mankind's ills, and not their own religious zealotry (see also, War on Drugs and War on Iraq). Won't somebody think of the children?

THURSDAY MAY 27, 2004

This is an amazing Flash-videogame (although, it's really more of a learning tool). You play Hulk Hogan and/or Mr. T on a quest to learn how G.W. is screwing over America. Play the BushGame today. It can get a bit profane, so keep the volume down if you're at work.

TUESDAY MAY 18, 2004

This just in. The video tape and circumstances of the decapitating of Nick Berg seem fishier and fishier. This article summarizes and lists 50 anomalies around Berg and his death.

MONDAY MAY 17, 2004

Here's a good article about how Bush isn't even a true Conservative.

FRIDAY MAY 14, 2004

Proof (okay, more proof) that the government is run by idiots and cheaters. Seems taxpayer money has purchased numerous college degrees for government employees who never went to class.

TUESDAY MAY 11, 2004

Wanna see what the roof of your house looks like from space? Check out GlobeXplorer. Are you paranoid yet?

MONDAY MAY 3, 2004

Wow, when a billionaire republican criticizes Bush, it really IS a sign of the end of the world. From Bloomberg: "Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is advising Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry on economic issues. Buffet, 73, who heads the Berkshire Hathaway Inc. investment company, has criticized Bush's tax cuts as "welfare" for the rich." Keep an eye out for locusts...

MONDAY APRIL 5, 2004

Dick Cheney's hypocracy is showing again. The man endorsing Bush's push to ban gay marriage not only has a lesbian daughter, but a wife who writes porn. Evidently, New American Library (part of Penguin Group) was attempting to reissue a racy novel written by Dick's wife, Lynne, until the Cheney's objected. "Sisters" is an historical romance published in 1981 that includes brothels, attempted rapes and a lesbian love affair." Doesn't sound like Lynne is that into Dick.

FRIDAY APRIL 2, 2004

There's just no end of people pointing out Bush's lies, manipulations, and lack of morals, and yet no one seems to hear or do anything about it. (I, however, will put up a hyperlink!) It's kinda disappointing how uninterested Americans are.

THURSDAY APRIL 1, 2004

In a shocking reversal, George Bush admitted publicly today that he has been lying all along about Iraq's WMDs and ties to Al Queda. "I figured, if we just kept sticking to our talking points, and bored the heck out of people, they'd forget about the invasion and worry about trying to get a non-existent job, instead." Bush said as he lit his cigar using $1,000 dollar bills monogrammed with the word "Enron".

MONDAY MARCH 22, 2004

Why the faking of a Medicare news report by the Bush Administration didn't get more publicity in America is beyond me. It seems the government filmed, edited and distributed a short "news" piece complete with actors praising George's new healthcare bill. I guess the only way Bush can get people to agree with his programs is to pay them.

FRIDAY MARCH 19, 2004

Attorney General Ashcroft recently sent a letter to Congress threatening a presidential veto of the Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act, a PATRIOT-reform bill that isn't even out of committee yet. The SAFE Act would repeal some of the provisions of PATRIOT that are threatening our civil liberties while ensuring reasonable law enforcement. Go here, and tell your Members of Congress to support the SAFE Act.

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28, 2004

Hey, don't forget to vote for someone who isn't trying to turn America into the next Roman Empire. Or someone who's a lying liar. Or someone who doesn't know that the idea of separation of church and state is guaranteed by the Constitution. (Did you know the words "under God" were added to the Pledge of Allegience in 1954 by Congress during the height of the cold war against godless communism only after a campaign by the Catholic nutbags in the Knights of Columbus?) Or someone who thinks Princeton professor, Paul Krugman is an economic Chicken Little. Vote based on your rational mind instead of your unfounded fears. In other words, don't vote for a Bush. Even if it has to be Kerry...