Can You Say Stagflation

Inflation is climbing, we have almost stagnant job growth, the value of the dollar is crashing, and consumers are feeling it.

We may be seeing something straight out of the 70s.

For the American public, this is just another gift of the Bush Administration and Republican economic and political philosophy. We get a grossly expensive and totally unwinnable war in Iraq, an exponential growth in national debt, increased concentration of wealth among the richest of the rich and now Stagflation.

If they were trying, I don't see how the Republicans could have done any more damage to my nation.



Tags
Bush Administrtion, Economy, Republicans

How Very Inquisitional Of Us.

One of the many interesting details about the inquisition was how torture was used. There were strict rules in place to control the whole process. One of those was a confession under torture could not be accepted until affirmed by the suspect while they were not being tortured.



It appears that the Bush Administration is following similar rules.

FBI and military interrogators who began work with the suspects in late 2006 called themselves the "Clean Team," and set as their goal collecting of virtually the same information the CIA had obtained from five of the six through duress at secret prisons.

Tags
Bush Administrtion, Torture, TWAT

This Is What Bush Thinks Is Worth Fighting For

Since 2001 the US Government has been spying on traffic traveling through US communication circuits. There is a process to do this legally, but the Bush Administration didn't bother to follow those rules, they, with the help of some of the telecommunication companies, just tapped the lines.

When they were found you they got congress to give them some temporary authority to do this. This authority is expiring and there is great debate as to how to extend this governmental authority to spy on communications.

There is a new bill working through congress that would do just this, but Bush is threatening to veto it.

According to his administration, and some on the right, a failure to pass this law would result in attack on the US, hundreds will die, and our nation will fall. All our defenses, security and police forces will be rendered impotent if they can not continue to tap these lines. The trouble is, while the new bill would extend this right, they think it is still to restrictive.

So what is the issue that destroys this bill? There are many points in the bill that are causing debate but only one is drawing the veto threat.

The bill would not provide immunity to the telecoms for past violations of the law.

According to Bush, this bill is vital, this bill is necessary to secure our land (both BS, but let’s let that pass), yet, he has made it clear that he is willing to expose us all to grave risk to assure that AT&T (and other major corporations) will not be sued for their past illegal actions.

This makes two things absolutely clear; that this law is not that vital to our security and Bush's real concern is protecting corporations, not protecting the US.



Tags
Bush Administrtion, FISA, AT and T

Five Years Ago Today

Colin Powell walked into the United nations and used his universally high credibility to sell the idea that Iraq presented some form of real threat to the US. In 1962 this tactic had provided a home run for the US when Adlai Stevenson presented evidence against the USSR and Cuba at the UN. The Bush administration hopped that Powell’s talk could do the same

Powell's dog and pony show lacked the punch of Stevenson's but his perceived integrity was enough for most viewers to allow him to carry the day. The US's position was stated, and generally accepted as at least probable, if not 100% factual.

Only in hindsight has we learned how badly Mr. Powell had served his nation and all of humanity for that matter. We are caught in an endless occupation. Our troops continue to bleed and the number of Iraqi dead continue to grow. All of this was purchased, in part, by Colin Powell, who traded his honor for Bush's war.

Only now is the scale of the lying of the Bush administration being made publically clear. That does not mean that there were many who, more than five years ago, thought the case for Saddam presenting a threat to the US was very weak. Many of these people would not believe Bush, or Cheney or Rice but they would believe Powell.

The result is a war that has lasted longer than World War Two, and has cost more (in adjusted dollar value) than any war except World War Two.

Thanks Mr. Powell.




Tags
Iraq, Bush Administrtion, Powell

Just More Evidence - Bush Lies

I know, this is no surprise to any thinking individual. It has been clear since the Brooks Brothers Riot that far to many republicans are eager to lie, cheat and steal to get the power they want.

For those few who still think that the President is a man of such virtue that he is incapable of telling a lie, lets consider the Iran NIE and the last few months.

For over a year the Bush administration has been pounding on the war drums. Iran could have a nuclear weapon any day, they are working overtime, at this very moment, to build a nuclear weapon to destroy our nation. These cries were echoed at what appeared at hourly intervals by members of the Bush administration and elected Republican enablers in the House and Senate.

Now it has become clear the President has known for months that Iran has discontinued any weapons development programs it had. What is interesting is that this new has not stopped him, or other members of the administration, from repeating their claims (for months) about Iran, this despite knowing they were lies.

And when the truth comes out, what does our President do?

Of course, he lies.

On Tuesday, President Bush said he was never forewarned by the intelligence community that Iran had suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003:

In August, I think it was John — Mike McConnell came in and said, We have some new information. He didn’t tell me what the information was.

Now the White House is revealing that wasn’t true. In fact, Bush did know what the information was. CNN reports:

President Bush was told in August that Iran’s nuclear weapons program ‘may be suspended,’ the White House said Wednesday, which seemingly contradicts the account of the meeting given by Bush Tuesday.”

Is Anyone Suprised

Bush Drove Drunk, Gonzales helped to hide that fact.

Questions about Gonzales's willingness to shade the truth on Bush's behalf came to prominence in the 1996 episode in which Bush was excused from Texas jury duty in a drunken-driving case. Bush was then the state's governor, and Gonzales was his general counsel. If Bush had served, he probably would have had to disclose his own drunken-driving conviction in Maine two decades earlier.

His willingness to do almost anything to cover-up Bush's acts makes is stream of lies told to congress even more disturbing.

I Thought Lying To Congress Was A Crime

Bust based on the actions of our Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, it must now be an accepted behavior.

he tripped himself up repeatedly during his testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee -- quite possibly entering perjury territory.

At lease a few Senators are unhappy with his lying