Quite a good article on Mary in tomorrow's Wash Post

I know, enough about Mary. But it's a good article. Read the rest of this post...

How's YOUR 401(k) doing?

For some reason, I'm on a rant about the economy. I remember one of the presidential debates in 2000 when Bush strongly advocated for privatizing social security, because he felt that private investors could get a better return on that investment. "I just think you can do better than two percent," I think he said -- I'm trying to track the exact quote down, if anyone can help. I've seen that argument made in NBER briefs, (beware -- this is a link to a pretty dry and boring pdf file) so it's not that rare an idea.

This administration loves to take arbitrary dates as starting points to denote economic progress. You know, like only counting the last 13 months of his administration when calculating job growth. But he's been in office nearly four years, and it's important to see the whole picture.

Just for kicks, I decided to see where the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed on January 22, 2000 -- the first day the market was open and this president was in office. DJIA closed at 10, 578.24 according to Yahoo finance. Today, after a small gain, it closed at 9,956.32.

The first day the tech-heavy NASDAQ was open for business during the Bush Administration, it closed at 2,757.91 and today it closed at 1,936.52 -- a fairly precipitous drop, I'd say. I'm sorry, no excuses -- you've had nearly four years to catch up after the "internet bubble" popped -- remember NASDAQ was up over 5,000 for a time and the bubble had long burst. Don't use 9-11 as an excuse, either -- within weeks the market had recovered most of the sudden losses, but then gradually lost ground.

Funny, after all the job cuts the companies of the DJIA and NASDAQ have made in the name of shoring up their stock prices, you'd think they could have done better than two percent gains as well. And you'd think that this president's economic policies, with all the tax cuts and cost-shifting on to workers, we'd do better than two percent. It 's a fact -- the DJIA and NASDAQ have lost value during this president's tenure, at least so far.

What was that? The economy is on the move? We're strong and growing stronger? Then why are so many people wondering what happened to their retirement?
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There is NO flu shot crisis, DAMMIT!!!

If this weren't so serious it would be funny. Bush goes to NJ today to give a "major speech" (read: same lying crap, different day) and there's a story about how a town there is forced to hold a lottery for flu shots.

But let's focus on republican priorities for a moment. Forget about health implications -- what is this going to mean for business? Well, WSJ reports the flu vaccine shortage will cost businesses more than usual -- 'bout $20 billion.

Meanwhile, the HHS Secretary is telling us there isn't a flu shot crisis. Nope, no problem here. Nothing to see here. Keep moving...

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Massive tech job cuts last quarter

Job cuts in the technology sector jumped 60 percent in the last quarter. Challenger Gray & Christmas also says these cuts have not been countered with new hires.

Yep, that economy has really turned a corner, or we're on the move, or whatever the line of crap is today. I can't keep up. It keeps changing.

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Bush is destroying the Army

As Intel Dump points out, not only is the Bush Administration totally overstretching our military, but now they're doing the equivalent of eating our seed corn. Namely, they're sending crack training units over to Iraq to ACTUALLY FIGHT. That means we won't have those crack units here in the US to - what? - train more units! Kind of an important point, you think? We're so hell bent on sending good money after bad in Iraq that were mortgaging our entire military's future. Read the rest of this post...

Two bucks a gallon and counting

Everyone has seen earlier posts about oil being $55 a barrel - but it doesn't mean much to ordinary folks until you see the price at the pump.

Well, the national average for gasoline is now just over $2 per gallon -- a red flag for this administration -- thanks to the massive failures in energy policy, foreign affairs, and corrupt ties to the most republican-leaning industry in the country.

Next up, home heating oil... Read the rest of this post...

Bush turned away UN offer of HUNDREDS of peacekeepers last month

Bush turned down an offer to send hundreds of UN troops to Iraq LAST FRIGGIN' MONTH. What, afraid to share some of the dead and wounded with the allies, are we? Despicable, despicable, despicable.

The big issues for the Bushies was again who would control the UN troops. Well I have a newflash for the Bushies. Get us the fuck out of Iraq. If Muslim nations want to take over for, FUCKING LET THEM. Jesus, we are INTENTIONALLY keeping our troops there and stopping allies from sending THEIR troops because we want CONTROl. Well guys, we've already lost control. It's a disaster. And now we're rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Bush is responsible for every single death and maiming of a US soldier in Iraq. Time and again he had the option to invite in more foreign troops and he has refused. Despicable man. Read the rest of this post...

Will Sinclair air libelous film?

If Sinclair airs the film after having been put on notice about it being potentially libelous, they could very well be held liable. Love it.

A Vietnam veteran shown in a documentary criticizing Sen. John Kerry's anti-war activities filed a libel lawsuit against the movie's producer Monday, saying the film falsely calls the veteran a fraud and a liar.

Kenneth J. Campbell, now a professor at the University of Delaware, said in the suit that "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" combines footage of him appearing at a 1971 war protest with narration that claims that many of the supposed veterans who took part in the event were later "discovered as frauds" who "never set foot on the battlefield, or left the comfort of the States, or even served in uniform."

The suit said viewers would be left with the perception that Campbell had lied about his military service.

Campbell attached copies of his military records to the lawsuit, showing that he received a Purple Heart and eight other medals, ribbons and decorations for his service in Vietnam.

Film producer Carlton Sherwood's company, Red White and Blue Productions, did not immediately return a call on Monday seeking comment.

Campbell also threatened legal action against the Sinclair Broadcast Group, an owner of 62 television stations that has announced that it intends to pre-empt regular programming to broadcast "Stolen Honor."

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Bush compromised troops' ability to fight in Iraq last winter

Funny that a draft dodger isn't committed to our military...

The top U.S. commander in Iraq complained to the Pentagon last winter that his supply situation was so poor that it threatened Army troops' ability to fight, according to an official document that has surfaced only now.

The lack of key spare parts for gear vital to combat operations, such as tanks and helicopters, was causing problems so severe, Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez wrote in a letter to top Army officials, that "I cannot continue to support sustained combat operations with rates this low."....

He also protested in his letter, sent Dec. 4 to the number two officer in the Army, with copies to other senior officials, that his soldiers still needed protective inserts to upgrade 36,000 sets of body armor but that their delivery had been postponed twice in the month before he was writing. There were 131,000 U.S. troops in Iraq at the time.

In what appears to be a plea to top officials to spur the bureaucracy to respond more quickly, Sanchez concluded, "I cannot sustain readiness without Army-level intervention."

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Zogby: It's tied again

I only bring up the polls because I'm sure you're hearing about them anyway (the bad ones at least). It's important to see how volatile the polls are, and how, therefore, one or two aberrant polls do not indicate that we're not doing well. It's a tie race. Read the rest of this post...

Betraying our wounded veterans

ABC News has a spotlight on the despicable way wounded veterans are being treated once they get home. Our military families have to understand this is how the Bush Administration treats you once you're no longer useful to them.
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British Anglican church wants apology for consecration of gay bishop

Looks like every country has its share of ignorant idiots.
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Dear Limey assholes

In case you missed it, The Guardian, the UK pro-Labour Party newspaper ran a program that encouraged reader to send letters to Ohio voters in Clark County. While sympathizing with their cause, I thought that it was a terrible idea. When I lived in Ohio I didn't recall locals even thinking much of people from the East Coast (like myself) let alone people from overseas. It seemed to me that this was patronizing and hypocritical considering the fact that Tony Blair has been the enabler for Bush in Iraq.

The response back to The Guardian was pretty much as one would expect including all of the standard anti-British insults. Call me cynical but it seems as though this is precisely what The Guardian wanted. Instead of helping with a real problem the Brits once again get a laugh and can talk about how stupid Americans are (and how brillant they are) instead of accepting their own responsibility in the Iraqi fiasco. How clever.
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Be very afraid

Fear for sale! Fear for sale. Who wants some fear? Get it while it's hot. Step right up, I got your fear here.
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Expel with what?

The US policy of collective punishment continues in Falluja with more "precision strikes" and plenty of tanks. This policy is sugar coated with a clean sounding name to appeal to the folks back home but make no mistake, it's collective punishment for a community that includes leveling houses and killing innocent civilians.

What sickens me the most is the old "expel the foreign terrorists" from your community. With what? Let's face it, Americans eat up that bullshit line which not only means nothing, it's based on a myth that somehow Americans defeated the British on their own. Americans love to pitch the line that "people need to fight back like we did in the American Revolution." Bull-fucking-shit. Anyone who actually looks at the facts knows that Americans received masssive foreign aid (money, weapons, troops, Navy) from, oh heavens, the French.

Anyway, didn't the US invade Iraq to protect Iraqis? OK, so protect them and quit killing them. Why do the locals have to suffer because the US failed to perform its mission?
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Oil hits another new high at $55.33, US dollar falls

Don't worry about the rapidly increasing price of oil or the fact that it's been hitting new highs day after day. Those international money managers just do not understand economics and only want to focus on irrelevant issues such as the US deficit and rising oil costs. C'mon, Bush is workin' hard.
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Is it just me...

...or is the title of this article unintentionally disturbing? :-) Read the rest of this post...

Evening Open Thread

Sorry to have been less post-y today (well, yesterday). I'm in the midst of working with a few bloggy friends on a rather-major secret election-related project. I'll fill you all in on it in, oh, say 24 hours or so. I'm pretty sure you'll like it :-)

Post away, JOHN Read the rest of this post...