Random arrests, beatings, murder and now starvation

While it may sound like Pol Pot and his destructive regime thirty years ago, this is Zimbabwe today. The latest bad news for the suffering population is a massive shortage of corn/maize. Most people in Zimbabwe live on mealy-meal, which we would call cornmeal in the US. This is what people eat for the 2 or if they are fortunate 3 meals a day. Of the required 1.8 tons needed to feed the population, only one third of that amount is expected from this years harvest. Making matters worse is the governments insistence that they have enough food and will not ask for or accept outside assistance.

Mugabe received a free pass this week from his neighbors, at least in public, but the calls for change are growing and the rest of the region has to be fed up with his disregard for human rights as well as the continuing problem of feeding the people of Zimbabwe. How much more abuse can the good people of Zimbabwe endure and how much more of this treatment will they tolerate? Read the rest of this post...

Disco Saturday Night

Off for drinks and dinner, or dinner and drinks. Read the rest of this post...

Top Bush campaign strategist blasts Bush in Sunday NYT

From the NYT:

In speaking out, Mr. Dowd became the first member of Mr. Bush’s inner circle to break so publicly with him.

He said his decision to step forward had not come easily. But, he said, his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s presidency is so great that he feels a sense of duty to go public given his role in helping Mr. Bush gain and keep power.

Mr. Dowd, a crucial part of a team that cast Senator John Kerry as a flip-flopper who could not be trusted with national security during wartime, said he had even written but never submitted an op-ed article titled “Kerry Was Right,” arguing that Mr. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat and 2004 presidential candidate, was correct in calling last year for a withdrawal from Iraq.

“I’m a big believer that in part what we’re called to do — to me, by God; other people call it karma — is to restore balance when things didn’t turn out the way they should have,” Mr. Dowd said. “Just being quiet is not an option when I was so publicly advocating an election.”

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Another gorgeous day, it's finally spring. Read the rest of this post...

Those crafty Jews

No, seriously, it's a compliment. Read the rest of this post...

Despite GOP spin, Pentagon not running out of money to run the war

So another case where the GOP is lying to make a political point about the war:

The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service has estimated that the Army has enough budget flexibility to pay for its military operations through July in the event that a standoff between the White House and Congress over Iraq holds up the money the administration says it needs for the war effort.

The service’s report, made public Friday by Senate Democrats, said the Pentagon may have to shift money between accounts and curtail some nonessential activities, but said Congress has provided the military with new ability to do so, lessening the potential for disruptions until additional money is approved.

Everyone knows and trusts the Congressional Research Service. The media is now on notice that the Bush administration is lying when they say the military is going to run out of money next month. Anyone at the Pentagon who pushes that line is also not telling the truth.

There have been enough lies about Iraq. Bush and his cronies have never been held accountable for the Iraq quagmire. Those days are over and the Democrats are starting to change the course. Read the rest of this post...

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Good Morning.

I'm in Disney World with my little cousin, Molly, who just finished 2 1/2 years of treatment for leukemia. She's here on Make-A-Wish trip and things are looking good for her. Molly turned seven this week. I've never been to the Magic Kingdom before....it's quite a place.

Bob Geiger has the Saturday cartoons. There sure wasn't a lack of material this week.

Also, check out the poem of the week. Usually, the poem provides a respite from the week. This one is from Donald Rumsfeld. Yep, Rumsfeld.

Have at it. Read the rest of this post...

It's Final Four weekend!

My standard Saturday morning always involves coffee, possibly a croissant if it's a really good day, but not this morning. I spent 3 1/2 hours with my friendly dentist who finally pinned me down for that visist I've been avoiding forever. The only thing that kept me distracted was thinking about the match up tonight between my two favorite college basketball teams, Ohio State and Georgetown. I had season tickets for both long ago and have loved following both teams move through the tournament this year so tonight, the big game is here.

Ohio State versus Georgetown is up first followed by Florida versus UCLA, who also have fantastic teams but admittedly I know much less about those two. Who's everyone picking to move to the final? Read the rest of this post...