Check this ‘campaign poster’.
Link via Ken Summers at “It comes in pints?” He says:
This is vicious.
And nasty.
And completely out of line.
And spot on.
I don’t think I can improve on that review.
The only political ‘artwork’ I’ve seen that was as nasty (has to have some truth to be really nasty – ‘Bushitler’ posters don’t count) was a 1980 bumper sticker that proclaimed: “Kennedy in 80 — a blonde in every pond!”
James Lileks is bleating about being awakened by Gnat when he really needed more sleep and nuclear bombs in American cities (and it somehow all works together). His last line is the reason for my title.
Link via Hell in a Handbasket.
The too-tightly-twisted-turban-crowd™ thinks nothing of using the citizens’ money for lining their own pockets, but when they spend that kind of money on acquiring the technical parts and knowledge to further their goal of making nuclear armaments, then they cease to be any kind of theocracy and become dictatorial thugs intent upon becoming the scourge of all around them.
Global intelligence services have reliable reports that the mullahs and ayatollahs are avid customers in the nuclear bazaar, both legitimate and clandestine. This report from Reuters, found via Iran va Jahan, has collated the latest news.
“There is a recognition here that time is a very critical factor,” said a non-Western diplomatic source. “The red line is not when they (the Iranians) get the bomb, but when they don’t need any more external assistance.”
A senior European diplomat said there was a lot of evidence that what Iran sought was “break-out capability” that would stop short of building a nuclear weapon but give it the ability to do so rapidly if it chose to leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Time is a very critical factor; they must be stopped !!
Earlier this week, Americans learned from the Senate Intelligence Committee (SIC) report that the Bush administration did not lie about or manipulate intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq invasion. To reiterate, the report found “no evidence that the [intelligence community’s] mischaracterization or exaggeration of [Iraq’s] weapons of mass destruction capabilities was the result of political pressure … The Committee did not find any evidence that Administration officials attempted to coerce, influence or pressure analysts to change their judgments related to Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.”
…
To name only a few, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), in a television ad, mentioned the “yellowcake” reference in the president’s 2003 State of the Union, adding “the administration knew it wasn’t true … It’s time to tell the truth.” (No, it was true, then as now.) The DNC Web site also informed readers about the administration’s “year-long campaign of deception involving a bogus intelligence report on Iraq’s nuclear program.” DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe huffed, “This may be the first time in recent memory that a president knowingly misled the American people during the State of the Union address.” According to John Kerry, Mr. Bush “misled every one of us.” Sen. Joseph Biden believed the administration “hyped [the intelligence] … to create a sense of urgency and a threat.” Sen. Carl Levin said, “The statement that Iraq was attempting to acquire African uranium was not an inadvertent mistake. It was negotiated between CIA and National Security Council officials, and it was highly misleading.”
We agree with the Wall Street Journal on this matter: Apologies are in order.
I agree too. But as the title says, I’m not holding my breath. (Hat tip to ‘wits0′ for the link.)
On June 29, 2004, at 12:28 p.m., I flew on Northwest Airlines flight #327 from Detroit to Los Angeles with my husband and our young son. Also on our flight were 14 Middle Eastern men between the ages of approximately 20 and 50 years old. What I experienced during that flight has caused me to question whether the United States of America can realistically uphold the civil liberties of every individual, even non-citizens, and protect its citizens from terrorist threats.
On that Tuesday, our journey began uneventfully. Starting out that morning in Providence, Rhode Island, we went through security screening, flew to Detroit, and passed the time waiting for our connecting flight to Los Angeles by shopping at the airport stores and eating lunch at an airport diner. With no second security check required in Detroit we headed to our gate and waited for the pre-boarding announcement. Standing near us, also waiting to pre-board, was a group of six Middle Eastern men. They were carrying blue passports with Arabic writing. Two men wore tracksuits with Arabic writing across the back. Two carried musical instrument cases – thin, flat, 18″ long. One wore a yellow T-shirt and held a McDonald’s bag. And the sixth man had a bad leg – he wore an orthopedic shoe and limped. When the pre-boarding announcement was made, we handed our tickets to the Northwest Airlines agent, and walked down the jetway with the group of men directly behind us.
This is a fascinating, and rather scary, story.
Some more facts about Iran and nuclear development: is it for nuclear armament, as we all rightly fear, or for peaceful power production as they claim? The writer draws no definitive conclusion, but provides several links to sources of both technical and political writings.
That regime of mullahs and ayatollahs must go before they unleash the unthinkable.
Via Iran va Jahan
Saudi system ‘abuses foreigners’
The rights of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia are being abused not only by employers but by the country’s legal system, an advocacy group has claimed.
A report by Human Rights Watch decries what it calls the failure of the Saudi justice system to provide redress.
It speaks of workers who face torture, forced confessions and unfair trials when they are accused of crimes.
But the Saudi embassy in Washington said the report “grossly exaggerates” a few instances of abuse.
“The kingdom… takes the issue of human rights very seriously and we continue to make progress in this regard,” it said in a statement.
And pigs will fly.
This sounds like a scene from some weepy, bad movie.
There’s this young Army National Guard sergeant lying in bed at an Army hospital.
He’s really down. He lost his right leg to a landmine in Afghanistan. Lot of hustle and bustle out in the hall. Someone’s coming to visit the wounded.
Turns out it’s the President of the United States.
He stops by the young sergeant’s bed. They talk. It’s a little awkward. What do you say to a guy that loves to run, loves physical activity, and now his leg is gone from the knee down.
But this sergeant tries to be upbeat and he’s been told all about prosthetic legs and he has resolved that, dammit, one day he’ll run again.
The President is impressed. Tell you what, he says to the sergeant, let’s keep in touch and when you’re ready to run a mile I’ll run it with you.
Yeah, sure.
But, sure enough, a year and a half later, there’s this young sergeant in shorts and an Army windbreaker, running on his prosthetic leg. And running beside him? The President of the United States.
Read the whole thing.
Canada has recalled its ambassador to Iran over the Tehran regime’s refusal to allow observers at the trial of a man accused of murdering Montreal journalist Zahra Kazemi.
Bill Graham, the Foreign Affairs Minister, also summoned Iran’s ambassador to a meeting in Ottawa yesterday afternoon to express his “extreme outrage.”
“They promised that we would have three observers,” Mr. Graham told reporters. “This is completely unacceptable behaviour on their part. It’s a complete rejection of the rule of law.”
Wow… ” a complete rejection of the rule of law.” How surprising.
An extensively researched article at Tech Central Station, via Iran va Jahan, gives detailed descriptions, locations, and technical information about just how far Iran has come with its nuclear research program, ostensibly for civilian power production.
Iran is determined to build a nuclear bomb.
At present we must endure the familiar slow dance of warnings, denials, speculations, denials, revelations, denials, etc., etc., until the inevitable day when headlines announce the new member of the nuclear club.
They are much further ahead than most people know, and the
too-tightly-twisted-turban-crowd™ is adamant that they will not be stopped, alleging it is not intended for nuclear armaments. However, since the same equipment can be used very effectively for the armament category, it would not take them long to be in a position to build those weapons.
A way must be found to stop them, NOW !!
Sgt. Stryker has an absolutely disgusting story of theft from a charity close to the hearts of many bloggers. Read his post and follow all the links. See if there is some way you can help, particularly if you live in the Atlanta, GA area !!
UPDATE: see the comments section
I will not give up on Iraq. This is why. And here’s another reason.
McCain: Same-sex marriage ban is un-Republican
Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona broke forcefully with President Bush and the Senate GOP leadership Tuesday evening over the issue of same-sex marriage, taking to the Senate floor to call a constitutional amendment to prohibit the practice unnecessary – and un-Republican.
“The constitutional amendment we’re debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans,” McCain said. “It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them.”
He’s right. I’d say it’s not only un-Republican, it’s un-American. Amending the constitution to ban something has been tried once before. It’s the only amendment that has been repealed.
[update] It only got 48 votes in the Senate (a procedural vote, not a vote on the bill, if I understand correctly). Good. More at Outside the Beltway.
Note: You may have to reload to get the change. I know I don't have much up here yet. But there will be more. Eventually.
Change Magic by: cssfile
Designs by:
Great poster - correct message….one that affects the whole world.
Comment by wits0 — 17 Jul, 2004 @ 01:34