Hartsongs

The Christian Taliban
via All Hat No Cattle

YOU'RE THE CREAM IN MY COFFEE...

You're the salt in my stew wound...

Briefing notes found in Starbucks...talking points regarding the Clarke hoopla, for Sunday talk shows...stay inside the line--we don't need 2 puff this @ all...we need 2 b careful as hell about is. This will go away soon and what will keep it alive will be one of us going over the line.

via Blah3

The Bagdad Theater

Brian Hull has an extensive post (with links) on Bush's environmental record.

MICROCHIPPING ALERT

Microchips from Banfield Hospitals (Petsmart) not read by most scanners

The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society (DAVMS) would like to inform members of a current animal welfare issue. In February 2004, Banfield pet hospitals began implanting a 134-kHz microchip which CANNOT be read by scanners currently used by most veterinarians and animal care and control professionals.

The AVID and HomeAgain microchips used in the U.S. operate on a 125-kHz frequency, and the manufacturers of these chips have distributed scanners widely so that the chips can be read (or at least detected, in some cases due to AVID's encrypted technology) with one scanner.

However, the scanners used to detect AVID and HomeAgain chips CANNOT read or detect the presence of the 134-kHz chips currently being implanted at Banfield pet hospitals. Thus, should a pet that has been chipped with the 134-kHz chip become lost, that animal may not be able to be reunited with its owner, and could be adopted out or euthanized, depending on shelter circumstances. Pet owners are paying for a procedure with the expectation that it will provide peace of mind about the return of their lost animal, but in reality this is not the case.

The 134-kHz chip from Banfield is compliant with the International Standards Organization (ISO) standards, and is marketed as the new gold standard in permanent identification. CVMA and DAVMS leadership believe, while it may be desirable to transition microchip technology in the U.S. towards international ISO standards, it is irresponsible for any business to introduce a microchip that, because of its frequency,
cannot be detected by the scanners currently in place throughout much of the U.S.
CVMA and DAVMS leadership believe that a responsible product introduction must include widespread distribution of an effective scanner BEFORE new chips are implanted in animals. While Banfield has distributed some scanners, it has not been a robust or effective effort - nor did it address the veterinary requirement for scanners. According to Crystal Imports, the distributor of the chipping technology being sold by Banfield, approximately 600 scanners have been distributed to shelters nationwide. CVMA and DAVMS leadership estimate the number of scanners needed to saturate the shelter community in Colorado alone is approximately 1,200. This figure does not include Colorado veterinarians.

Even if Banfield distributes sufficient numbers of scanners for their chips it would still result in a situation where veterinarians and shelter personnel would have to scan an animal twice with two different scanners. CVMA and DAVMS leadership believe a one-scan "universal scanner" with open technology (no encryption) is the only solution to this problem. "We know that the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance, the Humane Society of the United States and PETsMART have all asked Banfield pet hospitals to temporarily stop implanting microchips until this issue can be resolved," says Jed Rogers, DVM, chair of the DAVMS Animal Issues Committee. "As of today, there has been no response from Banfield." The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has taken a lead in public awareness on this issue, and disseminated a news release late last week to media around the country. American Humane has also just put out a press release. Please see below for a link to each.

HSUS has also sent a letter to all microchip manufacturers, inviting them to a summit to discuss the creation of a universal scanner, among other topics. Despite the fact that a mutual agreement at such a summit would be simple and necessary element, because each of the companies involved has competitive and strategic issues in the microchip market, a definitive resolution may be difficult to reach. If the microchip technology issues cannot be resolved at the summit, other approaches must be identified, including a possible moratorium on implanting microchips.

In Colorado, both CVMA and DAVMS are aligned with the animal care and control community on this issue. The leadership of the veterinary organizations believes it is not the responsibility of the animal care and control community - or the veterinarian - to resolve this issue. That responsibility belongs to the commercial companies who benefit financially from the sale of microchips.



The news releases from HSUS and American Humane are likely to precipitate questions from consumers and requests for more information from members of the media. The press release from HSUS is here.

via email

"THEY HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOM" Resident Bush

The Republican National Committee - which, for all intents and purposes, is just another branch of the Bush Machine - has sent notice to television stations nationwide, warning against showing ads critical of this administration’s policies.

The truth is, in a manner of speaking, U.S. President George W. Bush gassed his own people

"585 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the last year, 3,354 have been wounded and there's no end in sight. George Bush sold us on going to war with Iraq based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. But we still haven't found them, and now he thinks that's funny?"

WAR CRIMES

The Prosecution has presented a formidable Indictment against the Defendant, George Walker Bush, President of the United States and Commander -in-Chief of US military forces for serious crimes ; waging a war of aggression on Afghanistan, war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Afghan people, against prisoners of war ; and the use of radioactive depleted uranium weapons of mass destruction , against the people of Afghanistan ; with serious fall out effects on the military personnel of the United States ,UK and other forces deployed ; and on countries, in and around the region .

17.Verdict :

I find the Defendant , George Walker Bush , President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of United States Armed Forces guilty –

As Moret testified, depleted uranium turns into a infinitesimally fine dust after it explodes; individual particles are smaller than a virus or bacteria. And, "It is estimated that one millionth of a gram accumulating in a person's body would be fatal. There are no known methods of treatment."

And DU dust is everywhere. A minimum of 500 or 600 tons now litter Afghanistan, and several times that amount are spread across Iraq. In terms of global atmospheric pollution, we've already released the equivalent of 400,000 Nagasaki bombs, Moret said. The numbers are overwhelming, but the potential horrors only get worse. DU dust does more than wreak havoc on the immune systems of those who breathe or touch it; the substance also alters one's genetic code.

Thus, birth defects are way up in Afghanistan since the invasion: children "born with no eyes, no limbs, tumors protruding from their mouths ...deformed genitalia," according to the tribunal report. This ghastly toll on the unborn - on the future - has led investigators to coin the term "silent genocide" to describe the effects of this horrific weapon.

Rice Leaving?

As she prepares to leave her job at the end of the year, Ms. Rice, the president's national security adviser, now finds herself at the center of a political storm, furiously defending both the White House and her own reputation.

Blair 'delayed US strike on Iraq'

But then, he was probably 'out of the loop', too.

Special Skills Draft

THE UNFUNNY RESIDENT

I've been told I have a good sense of humor.

Humor was a staple in my family, along with politics. Around the kitchen table, whether eating a meal or drinking coffee, there was talk of current events, political leaders, the state of the nation, all with humor interspersed; mostly very funny, (i.e. tears running, sides aching) less often, not...yet, even with the groan of a 'bad joke', there was humor there.

In watching Resident Bush 'joking' about WMD, I found nothing funny. I groaned at a bad joke that was devoid of any humor and wondered, 'If I'm feeling offended by this, how must the soldiers in Iraq and their parents feel?'

Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act gives the FBI virtually unlimited access to bookstore and library records. This section of the Patriot Act, hurriedly crafted and passed after the tragedy of 9/11, has caused tremendous concern among booksellers and bookstore customers, librarians and library patrons, as well as many other groups. By signing the Campaign for Reader Privacy's petition, you will be notifying your representatives in Congress that you support legislation to restore the privacy of bookstore and library records.

Transcript of interview with Clarke, via The Gadflyer

Rice truly has the best of all worlds. She hangs back at the White House shooting spit balls at Clarke and the rest of them. But she doesn't have to back anything up because she doesn't have to testify under oath or get questioned.
Josh Marshall

Nonviolence Works
via A Conservative Blog For Peace

"With my pole, and my line, I'm a goin' fishin'..." Well, maybe not.

Gambling With Lives

"They'll never shake the will of the United States. We understand the stakes. Al Queda are attacking Iraq for a reason, and the reason is it is a front for the war on terror." Resident Bush

front (frunt) n. [ME., OFr., L. frons (gen. frontis), forehead, front., IE *bhren-, to project, whence OE, brant; steep, high]
1. formerly, a)the forehead b the face; countenance.
2.a) attitude or appearance, as of the face, indicating state of mind; external behavior when facing a problem, etc.[to put on a bold front] b)[colloq.] an appearance, usually pretended or assumed, of social standing, wealth, etc.
3.[Rare] impudence; effrontery...
15. a person or group used to cover or obscure the activity or objectives of another, controlling person or group.
15. a stiff shirt...
17. Archit. a face of a building.

facade n. [Fr., It. facciata < fuccia VL. facia se ff.]
1. the front of a building
2. the front part of anything; often used figuratively with implications of an imposing appearance concealing something inferior.

Some things never change...

On Kerry and Body Armor

S. Con. Res. 84

Whereas, on September 11, 2001, the National Guard and Reserve responded to the horrific terrorist attacks on the United States with professionalism and courage, rescued the injured, saved lives in New York City, provided protection to the Pentagon, and flew combat air patrols over Washington, D.C., and other major cities;

Whereas, on September 14, 2001, in Executive Order 13223, President Bush proclaimed a national emergency, and exercised his authority under section 12302 of title 10, United States Code, to allow him to call up as many as 1,000,000 National Guard and Reserve members to active duty for up to two years;

Whereas more than 300,000 National Guard and Reserve members have been called to active duty under this Executive Order, serving on the front lines by fighting terrorists in Africa and Asia and keeping the peace in Afghanistan, the Balkans, and Iraq;

Whereas the National Guard and Reserve are taking on unprecedented challenges;

Whereas 64 percent of National Guard and Reserve members have been called up for active duty during at least one of the seven major mobilizations since 1990;

Whereas 7,800 National Guard and Reserve members have been mobilized more than once to serve in the Global War on Terrorism, and members serve between 60 and 120 days per year;

Whereas 42,000 of the approximately 160,000 United States troops currently in Iraq are members of the National Guard and Reserve;

Whereas the National Guard and Reserve are being deployed to Iraq without critical protective equipment, such as body armor, carbines, laser sights, night vision goggles, desert boots, Camel Back water carriers, aviation holsters, aviation protective masks, radios, and desert camouflage uniforms;
Whereas many National Guard and Reserve units are using older and outdated equipment;

Whereas, due to equipment shortages throughout the National Guard and Reserve, units are being stripped of equipment in favor of units being deployed, leaving other units without equipment with which to train;

Whereas at least one National Guard and Reserve unit asked hospitals in the United States to donate medical supplies to cover its shortages; and

Whereas a poll taken in Iraq by Stars & Stripes reveals that 48 percent of National Guard and Reserve troops consider their morale ``low'' or ``very low'', compared with only 15 percent reporting ``high'' or ``very high'' morale: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That Congress--

(1) recognizes the sacrifices made by the members in the regular and reserve components of the Armed Forces;

(2) expresses concern about their safety and security; and

(3) urges the Secretary of Defense to take immediate steps to ensure that the National Guard and Reserves are provided with the same equipment as the regular components.

S.CON.RES.84
Title: A concurrent resolution recognizing the sacrifices made by members of the regular and reserve components of the Armed Forces, expressing concern about their safety and security, and urging the Secretary of Defense to take immediate steps to ensure that the reserve components are provided with the same equipment as regular components.
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] (introduced 11/21/2003) Cosponsors: (none)
Latest Major Action: 11/21/2003 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

S.1991
Title: A bill to require the reimbursement of members of the Armed Forces or their family members for the costs of protective body armor purchased by or on behalf of members of the Armed Forces.
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] (introduced 12/9/2003) Cosponsors: 1
Latest Major Action: 12/9/2003 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.

Well, I have no idea how I lost my Peace candle, No Sweat, and the Support Sanity graphic, and have been trying to figure out how to get them back...got one back, but am still trying to retrieve the others. sigh.

Pundits are calling for Kerry to concede to Bush to demonstrate that we won't be intimidated as Spain was, by Al Queda. However, according to the CIA, the blame Osama bandwagon may be on the wrong track...

CIA officials believe some hard-liners in the Basque separatist group ETA may have teamed up with Islamic extremists - not necessarily al-Qaida - in carrying out Thursday's devastating explosions on Spanish trains, an administration official said yesterday.

The Gadflyer has arrived!
Thomas Schaller has a quiz for you, and says to get your pencils ready.

"The casualties have been relatively modest, considering we're fighting a war."

"We've got the tanks, we've got the guns, we've got the power, and we ought to exercise that power."

Pat Robertson

Tom Shales, film critic for the Washington Post, responding to Michael Medved on Paula Zahn Now, Power of the Passion: "Shut up!"

Pax Bush

Are you being Served?

The Corpus Callosum has an interesting perspective on Ann Coulter.

"Being psychologically minded, I now pause to reflect on the fact that I started out writing about Ann Coulter, then ended up writing about people who use words to manipulate others."

Go read.

Conservatives are complaining about MoveOn ads and the (cough) 'liberal slant' of the media, yet are running an ad campaign of their own.

Air America Radio

Iraqi's Are Wondering

Where has all our money gone?
Oil revenues passing,
Where has all the money gone,
Why don't we know?
Where have all the Billions gone
To CPA's and CEO's every one
Iraqi's have been spurned,
Iraqi's have been spurned.

Where has all the freedom gone?
I'm just asking.
Where has all the freedom gone?
I want to know,
Where has all the freedom gone:
So much for democracy!
When will we have a turn,
When will we have a turn?

THE NEW PENTAGON PAPERS

"I'm the commander - see, I don't need to explain - I don't need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being the President. Maybe somebody needs to explain to me why they say something, but I don't feel like I owe anybody an explanation."
- George W. Bush, Washington Post, 11-19-02

Bushes Against Bush

"At bottom, Palestinians are held hostage to serve American interests. Why? Because holding Palestinians hostage is necessary for America to maintain instability in the Middle East. Along with serving the oil interests and sustaining the war industry through guaranteed Israeli purchases, American policy makers, particularly the Israeli biased Neo-Cons, do not want a free and independent state of Palestine that would serve as a role model, an example for other Arab states. There is an underlying concern that if someday the Middle East should stabilize, grow and prosper, it might challenge US preeminence in the world."

"The government's top expert on Medicare costs was warned that he would be fired if he told key lawmakers about a series of Bush administration cost estimates that could have torpedoed congressional passage of the White House-backed Medicare prescription-drug plan."

Now, why am I not surprised?
via Josh Marshall

"This `need to know, our eyes only' stuff is getting too restrictive for us to do a decent job." (Rep. Pete Stark of California, ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means health subcommittee.)

I'd like to see Bush field Question Wednesdays" as Blair does, facing the House and Senate on a weekly basis. Let's see how he stands up then.

Of course, Parliment is generally a full house, and here the 'roll call' is frequently used as a stalling tactic, but perhaps grilling the President would be incentive enough for those seats to be filled.

Bach off!

House of Bush
House of Saud

Whew - the Lord help us - another dose of 'lixir, hey - the public power of digestion must be as strong as a treading mill's, to stand another poetic bolus - don't believe that tho' - such sickly stuff is just what this bilious generation want - their moral stomachs need satirical emetics to cleanse them of the shameful secretions that are likely to puff them with that sort of crazy consequence, and Tom and Jerry sort of dignity, which will render them as big with bloated emptiness, as the skull of a sartin empirical editor, who says he is the greatest man in the union - it must be so surely - for could we have better authority than his own word for it? He ain't apt to praise anything but himself and the corporation custards?
McDonald Clarke Preface to 'The Gossip'

"The president's feet are not to touch the dirt."
via Blah3

They put up a concrete sidewalk from the parking lot to a ramp leading into a side entrance to the building.

The rain and sleet made it impossible for the concrete to dry. So they changed from concrete to the asphalt used on streets. They hoped the president wouldn't mind this. After all, it would protect his feet from touching the earth. Gravel and hot steaming asphalt. When they finally had it done, a full-fledged asphalt path, a Secret Service agent put his foot through the steam and left a large footprint in the walk that was to keep the president's feet off the ground.

KERRY APOLOGIZES TO BUSH!!

Walking On Graves another photo op paid for with our tax dollars...

The president made no remarks at the ceremony attended by several hundred people, uniformed Nassau County firefighters...

President Bush is about to finalize changes in the laws governing overtime pay that could take away overtime protections from at least 8 million people. His changes will cut paychecks for families, erode the 40-hour workweek and encourage employers to require more overtime work. The changes include a new "military penalty" that would allow employers to use military training as the basis for cutting overtime pay.

Please sign the online petition opposing President Bush's overtime pay take-away by clicking on the link below.

Save Overtime Pay

Bush's Dream
Listen to the ghosts George, listen to the ghosts.....

One night George W. Bush is tossing restlessly in his White House bed. He awakens to see George Washington standing beside it. Bush looks up and asks, "George, what's the best thing I can do to help the country?" "Set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Washington advises, then fades away.

The next night, Bush is astir again when he sees the ghost of Thomas Jefferson moving silently around the bedroom. Bush calls out: Tom, please! What is the best thing I could do to help the country?" "Respect the Constitution, as I did," Jefferson advises, and then dims from sight.

The third night sleep still evades Bush. He sees the ghost of FDR hovering over his bed. Bush lowers his voice to a whisper, and asks, "Franklin, what is the best thing I could do to help the country?" In that golden voice of his, FDR replies, "Help the less fortunate just as I did," and then he disappears.


Bush still isn't sleeping well the fourth night. He's tossing and turning. Suddenly another figure moves out of the shadows. It's the ghost of Abraham Lincoln. "Abe," Bush pleads, "what's the best thing I can do right now to help the country?" Lincoln pauses, then replies, "Go see a play.
(got this via email)

Star Wars?

"His leadership on that day is central to his record and his continued leadership is critical to our ultimate success against world terrorism."Giuliani

The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission)

Contradictions. A picture is worth....

BYOB (BRING YOUR OWN [paper]BALLOT)

Some computer scientists say electronic systems expose elections to hackers, software bugs and power outages — with potentially catastrophic consequences. Critics say that because most electronic voting terminals do not produce paper records, there's no way to ensure accurate recounts

Bush Campaign Says Flag Draped Stretcher And Images of Destroyed World Trade Center Are 'Tasteful Reminders'

``Three thousand people were murdered on President Bush's watch,'' Breitweiser said. ``He has not cooperated with the investigation to find out why that happened.''

The Presidential Match Guide got my preference to a 'T'... though I disagree with the 1% for Bush...I won't even give him that...
via No Cameras

The U.S. (Government) Hates Haiti
The US lawyer representing the government of Haiti charged today that the US government is directly involved in a military coup attempt against the country's democratically elected President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Ira Kurzban, the Miami-based attorney who has served as General Counsel to the Haitian government since 1991, said that the paramilitaries fighting to overthrow Aristide are being backed by Washington....

There's enough indications from our point of view, at least from my point of view, that the United States certainly knew what was coming about two weeks before this military operation started. The United States made contingency plans for Guantanamo.

Streets bathed in blood.
An injured man
Wades through in agony,
Clouds of smoke
Loom from his burning scalp.

Another Holy Day fraught with tears
And the stench of burning flesh;
Lives enmeshed
In the conflicts of war
Torn from attempts at normalcy;

“We’re here to set you free,” they said,
With platitudes they plied;
Yet the masses of funeral prayers rise
As bodies of men, women, children
Line the countryside instead.