The Coup d’Etat at Midnight

Felipe Calderon, the thief who stole the Mexican election that took place July 2, opted out of his planned swearing in Dec 1 by having the ceremony behind closed doors in the dark.

Because his opponent, López Obrador, won the popular vote but was denied the victory through fraud and deceit, it's a coup d’etat by any measure of the word. Obrador's supporters vow not to let this situation stand, including many members of the Mexican National Congress which is in full tilt civil war.



The situation is volatile. With widespread outrage at the stolen election and the rebellion in Oaxaca, expect the incoming thugs to inaugurate their theft with truncheons, bullets and mass arrests. Sneaking into the presidential sash in a furtive midnight ceremony doesn't bode well for the people of Mexico.

Shrub Gets Snubbed

"At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.
"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.
"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.
"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"
"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House."

Another senator elect challenged another Bush at the White House when Paul Wellstone badgered Poppy in 1991 about education issues and warned him about war on Iraq. Bush 41 was later overheard saying "Who is this chickenshit?"
We know what eventually happened to Paul Wellstone.
Jim Webb, watch your back.

Catholic School Wisdom

Actual answers by kids on tests, their spelling and grammar.

1. IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS. GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.

2. ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AND ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.

3. LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.

4. THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.

5. SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIMSELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.

6. SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.

7. MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS.

8. THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT. AFTERWARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

9. THE FIRST COMMANDMENTS WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.

10. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.

11. MOSES DIED BEFORE HE EVER REACHED CANADA . THEN JOSHUA LED THE HEBREWS IN THE BATTLE OF GERITOL.

12. THE GREATEST MIRICLE IN THE BIBLE IS WHEN JOSHUA TOLD HIS SON TO STAND STILL AND HE OBEYED HIM.

13. DAVID WAS A HEBREW KING WHO WAS SKILLED AT PLAYING THE LIAR. HE FOUGHT THE FINKELSTEINS, A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BIBLICAL TIMES.

14. SOLOMON, ONE OF DAVIDS SONS, HAD 300 WIVES AND 700 PORCUPINES.

15. WHEN MARY HEARD SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF JESUS, SHE SANG THE MAGNA C ART A.

16. WHEN THE THREE WISE GUYS FROM THE EAST SIDE ARRIVED THEY FOUND JESUS IN THE MANAGER.

17. JESUS WAS BORN BECAUSE MARY HAD AN IMMACULATE CONTRAPTION.

18. ST. JOHN THE BLACKSMITH DUMPED WATER ON HIS HEAD.

19. JESUS ENUNCIATED THE GOLDEN RULE, WHICH SAYS TO DO UNTO OTHERS BEFORE THEY DO ONE TO YOU. HE ALSO EXPLAIN A MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY SWEAT ALONE.

20. IT WAS A MIRICLE WHEN JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND MANAGED TO GET THE TOMBSTONE OFF THE ENTRANCE.

21. THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE LORD WERE CALLED THE 12 DECIBELS.

22. THE EPISTELS WERE THE WIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

23. ONE OF THE OPPOSSUMS WAS ST. MATTHEW WHO WAS ALSO A TAXIMAN.

24. ST. PAUL CAVORTED TO CHRISTIANITY, HE PREACHED HOLY ACRIMONY WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MARRAIGE.

25. CHRISTIANS HAVE ONLY ONE SPOUSE. THIS IS CALLED MONOTONY.

Abbatoiraq

The prevailing opinion and conventional wisdom about Iraq goes something like this - intelligence was faulty, mistakes were made, Bush and the boys miscalculated with their war but invaded with the highest of ideals. The sectarian violence unfortunately spiralled out of their control. Al Qaeda is fighting our soldiers and if we left Iraq it's a victory for terrorism, we'd end up fighting the terrorists here and Iraq would descend into the pits of hell because of our absence. In short, a defeat for us and everything we stand for.



Of course, all of that is total bullshit.



Most people need to believe that their government has the best of intentions. It's easy to convince them that if something turns out badly, well, anyone can make mistakes. The government counts on that. We're brainwashed from birth with a constant drone of unctuous platitudes about our righteous intentions. We always wear a white hat. We may stumble and fumble around but deep down inside we have irreproachable objectives.



That may be what we want to believe but it ain't what we got. This country was taken over by the most despicable cabal of filthy cutthroats the world has ever seen and that's the crew that's calling the shots, not us. They set the agenda with it's consequences and I would dare say very few of them are unintended. While the scumbags go about fulfilling their venal agenda they lie to us over and over again. Some people think ours is the most brainwashed society on earth and that's probably true; because of our good intentions we want to believe theirs.



Iraq is a bloody shitheap because it was meant to be that way. The fascist/zionist agenda was to tear the country apart, to balkanize a once stable, prosperous and tolerant country into a sectarian hellhole, and so here it is. Right from the very start of the invasion we saw the policies that would lead to this disaster of biblical proportion. Those policies were thought out long in advance and decisions were not made lightly. Disbanding the army, encouraging the looting, destroying the infrastructure, allowing a quarter million tons of explosives to be stolen, all this was seen in advance and was deliberately allowed or made to happen. The entire country became a killing zone.



But for the machiavalian psychos the best was yet to come. In order to complete their destruction of the country they had to have the Iraqi people tear each other apart. Would our vaunted military establishment and the CIA actually create an environment that would encourage attacks and reprisals? Yes they would, and are doing it to this day:



"According to a classified document prepared for Rumsfeld by his Defense Science Board, the new organization--the "Proactive, Preemptive Operations Group (P2OG)"--would actually carry out secret missions designed to provoke terrorist groups into committing violent acts. The P2OG, a 100-member, so-called "counter-terrorist" organization with a $100-million-a-year budget, would ostensibly target "terrorist leaders," but according to P2OG documents procured by Arkin, would in fact carry out missions designed to "stimulate reactions" among "terrorist groups"--which, according to the Defense Secretary's logic, would subsequently expose them to "counter-attack" by the good guys. In other words, the plan is to execute secret military operations (assassinations, sabotage, "deception") which would intentionally result in terrorist attacks on innocent people, including Americans--essentially, to "combat terrorism" by causing it."



The fascist plan all along was for Iraq to descend into chaotic madness and the manipulators don't care how many people die and suffer as a consequence. Most of the wretched violence we see daily in the news is black op state terror designed to turn the Iraqis against one another. All institutions are under siege - Robert Fisk reported in 2004 that "University staff suspect that there is a campaign to strip Iraq of its academics, to complete the destruction of Iraq's cultural identity which began when the American army entered Baghdad." Over 300 educators have been liquidated and hundreds more have been disappeared. Over a million terrified Iraqis are refugees. This is a concerted attempt to eradicate the country from world maps.



It isn't hard to discern the motives for it all. The empire is bankrupt and needs the oil. Building those gigantic bases and the obscene embassy in Baghdad means the US plans to throw it's muscle around the region in order to obtain and keep it. Destroying and breaking up one of Israel's Arab enemies was a wet dream for the dual citizenship zionists in the cabal. There's a lot of money to be made for Sockpuppet's and especially Cheney's buddies when things get blown up and the security situation is dire. Getting the military bogged down in a bloody nightmare is a small price to pay when the fascists have so much to gain, as long as they can keep their real intentions hidden

McDavid

Worth1000 photoshop contest



thanks to boingboing

Venezuela In The Crosshairs

By all reputable accounts Hugo Chavez enjoys massive support from the Venezuelan population and leads his opponent in the Dec. 3 election by a wide margin, almost 2 to 1 in some polls. Since Chavez represents the populist Bolivarian movement that challenges corporatocracy and privilege, he and what he represents have been under unremitting attack on all fronts short of war. MSM knows it's marching orders:

MSNBC - Hugo Faces His Toughest Test
"Like so many populists in Latin America, Chávez loves the Venezuelan poor as they are, and wants to keep them that way."

Int. Herald Tribune - Chavez is rigging the election.

ABC - Chavez throws hissy fits and nobody pays attention to him anymore.

Eva Golinger is a Venezuelan-American lawyer specializing in human rights. She wrote a book called "The Chavez Code - Cracking US Intervention in Venezuela" where she used the freedom of information act to get proof that the US was behind the attempted coup against Chavez in 2002. The meddling never stopped and the fascists are quite busy in the public arena and especially covertly, financing 132 anti - Chavez opposition groups. The US has imposed sanctions, made up accusations of drug trafficking and terrorist activities and has operated with paramilitaries along the border with Columbia. There was possibly even an assassination attempt back in late September.

Look for more crap to be dumped on Chavez in the next week leading up to the election down there. The fascists are up to their old tricks in trying to destabilize western hemisphere governments that don't suck up to corporate hegemony. The fascists hate the thought of real democracy spreading across the Americas - and they're looking at Venezuela as the threat of a good example.

-------

Psycho-babel: a ponerological approach to modern double-speak - For a psycopath, the only injustice is not getting what he wants - power.
Speaking of psycopaths:
Dick Cheney: the most dangerous man in the world.

Coincidence? Probably not

Iraqi media is reporting a Cheney sighting in Baghdad.

Today marked the biggest death toll of civilians in Iraq since the invasion.

Bad Luck, Or Is Someone Sending A Message?

~~> Air Force One blew six tires on the trip to Ho Chi Minh City.

~~> Someone robbed one of the First Twins' purse on a trip to Argentina.

~~> Another someone poured molasses into the fuel tanks of Bush's helicopters.

~~> Motorcycle cops covering Codpiece's visit to Hawaii crash and are hurt.

~~> Acting director of the White House travel office was robbed and beaten in Hawaii.

 

And that's just stuff we hear about.

Gore's "Inconvenient Truth"

It came out on DVD yesterday and I went to rent a copy. I found it interesting in a couple of ways. (Rated PG for ~mild thematic elements~ Huh?)

Conventional wisdom would have you scoffing at the idea that policy wonk Al Gore, stiff Mr. what-the-hell-is-a-soundbite could carry what is essentially an environmental lecture without boring you to death. He may be too pedantic in snippets but given an hour and a half he relaxes and warms up to the task. The production of the movie is top notch, with a stern warning about global warming interspersed with family history, videos and animation. Gore's dedication to his cause is obvious and he should be commended for that. His presentation is persistent and convincing.

Gore's been really excoriated by the reich wing for years, unfairly in my opinion. Those early swift boat-like attacks for the internet, Love Canal and environment hypocrisy were all either fabricated or blown way out of proportion. Questioning his devotion is as stupid as questioning the reality of the subject he presents in his book and movie. And global warming is viciously denied by them for years even as the evidence for it piles up by the day.

Monied interests consistently smear efforts to curb warming and try to suppress real science with the problem. Gore advocates action to control carbon emissions. The phony free market advocates should be embracing that course of action with enthusiasm because the innovation of the free market would ensure powerful breakthroughs with new technology. But monied interests don't believe in a free market, and they believe they can do whatever the hell they want without facing consequences for their actions.

As a matter of fact, Gore leaves politics out of his presentation except for mention of the 2000 presidential imbroglio and a few humorous digs at Commander Codpiece. It's a warning about warming brought about by rising CO2 levels and the disastrous effects we are now starting to experience. You gotta wonder how things would have been different if this man were President.

Movies

With the weather and politics turning foul and dark there's nothing more comfortable to Mrs Contendere and I than a warm glow in the fireplace, a bowl of Newman's Own popcorn and a good DVD to enjoy. My taste in movies is pretty catholic - I'll get into and enjoy any genre except television shlock, martial arts and anything with a laugh track. We don't have a fancy setup, just an old 27 inch RCA with the sound routed through the stereo speakers. Settling into the futon with the cat nestled between us we've watched a wide range lately.



Sunset Blvd. - Billy Wilder's self referential classic astounded me. Gloria Swanson was a faded silent movie star who played a faded silent movie star infatuated with a world weary William Holden. In 1950 it skewered hollywood movie making so much that it made the studios cringe. Crackling, intelligent dialogue.



Mission Impossible 3 - Cruise's star vehicles won't save the guy's career. This insult steals from any number of much better flicks and relies on truly assinine action to make up for his missing acting chops.



Cars - Some of the best movies in recent years have been animated. I guess the format allows the imagination to run free and be inventive in a way that's unique to the genre. Coupled with whiz bang computer tech the results can be dazzling and endearing like this effort. I think the best animation will be attractive to anybody of any age and this one certainly has it all, wrapped up in a smart, joyous package.



To Have And Have Not - Another classic with Bogart and especially Lauren Bacall. Howard Hawks directed this adaptation of Hemingway's novel. Bogart shined in these undertakings with his character going up against the baddies, in this case the local equivalent of Nazis. But it's Bacall who fries your eyeballs. She was only 19 and this was her very first film but she sizzled and smoldered in a sultry way that has to be seen to understand.

For the past several years there's been stiff competition with internet movie rentals. I only know about Netflix and Blockbuster although there may be others. Last winter I had a subscription to Netflix where for $17.99 a month you could have unlimited rentals and no late fees. You just picked your titles from a large library at the website and when you sent one back they'd ship your next selection. I had tried BB but what made NF better was that their numerous distribution centers made the mail transit time much shorter, hence more rentals for the money.

That may have changed. A couple of days ago I started an account with BB's new service called Total Access. They decided to use their strength in this market, all their rental stores, to deal a knockout blow to the competition. You do the same thing - choose titles from the website and they send them to you, three out at a time in my case. But you can either send a used one back to them or take it down to the local BB for a replacement and they'll send it back for your next online pick. In essense six movies out at a time. A pretty bold move on their part, but it remains to be seen what the transit time is via snail mail. Still, instantly trading one in for another at the local store seems like a pretty good deal.

Low Expectations For The Newly Ensconced

Top Democrats to Voters: Enough Already, Now Shut Up!

"You can set your watch by the speed with which the new crowd lowers expectations and announces What is Not To Be Done. Nowhere was\ there an item on the Democrats' "must do" list saying "Reverse plunge towards fascism. Rescind Patriot Act. Dump the Military Commissions Act. Restore habeas corpus and the Bill of Rights." Pelosi made haste to say: impeachment is off the table."

Entertaining any hope that the US military will be withdrawn sometime soon from Iraq? I think I'm safe in saying that's not even a distant possibility.

It took three long years for the majority of people in this country to realize the true horror of the bloody meatgrinder our overlords created. Disregarding dire warnings, blind to the contrived lies, most people stupidly trusted Bush and his war criminals and it took years to realize that, hell, maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Now most people oppose the occupation and apparently overwhelmed Rovian machinations and sent democrats to congress. But since most of them were hand picked by Rahm Emanuel not to rock the boat, it looks like it's going to be dirty business as usual.

Even though the fascists have run out of excuses for our legions being in Iraq, there's always the perfect fall back position to stick around these invaded countries - the violence will never end as long as we have troops there. Our occupation will breed resistance by it's very presense thereby guaranteeing further justification for staying and even upping the ante.

The fascists will never voluntarily assess the situation soberly and do what's best for our country, the troops and the Iraqis. This Baker commission is a window dressing joke. As Justin Raimondo put's it "Put not your trust in politicians, of whatever party: they will come through only under pressure." It looks like that's sadly true with the new crop that was just elected as well.

Four Carrier Groups in the Persian Gulf

Massive naval power off the coast of Iran.

The USS Eisenhower

The USS Enterprise

The USS Boxer

The USS Iwo Jima

"A phantom attack on two U.S. destroyers cruising the Gulf of Tonkin was staged by the Pentagon and the C.I.A. The bogus attack occurred early in August, 1964. That evening President Lyndon Johnson went on television giving the grim details of the non-attack. Later, however, it was revealed that navy commander James Stockdale flew cover over the Gulf of Tonkin that night. Stockdale disclosed that U.S. ships were firing at phantom targets—targets that didn’t exist. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident that drew the U.S. into the quagmire of Viet Nam simply didn’t happen. Johnson, as presidents so often do, lied to the American people. The result was the rapid passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which was the sole legal basis for the Viet Nam War. As a result of Johnson’s lie, three million Vietnamese people and fifty eight thousand U.S. soldiers died." (Charles Sullivan, Global Research, January 2006)

A Good First Step

Senator Chris Dadd of Connecticut introduced a bill today to ameliorate the recent filth called the Military Commission Act of 2006. Arguably the worst, unconstitutional assault on our liberties, if the MCA isn't amended or abolished to restore the bedrocks of constitutional law to our society, revolution is is a distinct possibility sometime in the future.
Dodd isn't wasting time. He gets a big thumbs up from me.
Some of the points in his bill:

* Restores Habeas Corpus protections to detainees
* Narrows the definition of unlawful enemy combatant to individuals who directly participate in hostilities against the United States who are not lawful combatants
* Bars information gained through coercion from being introduced as evidence in trials
* Empowers military judges to exclude hearsay evidence the deem to be unreliable
* Authorizes the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces to review decisions by the Military commissions
* Limits the authority of the President to interpret the meaning and application of the Geneva Conventions and makes that authority subject to congressional and judicial oversight
* Provides for expedited judicial review of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 to determine the constitutionally of its provisions

We Do Not Want Democrats, We Just Hate The Republicans

Seen on Unknown News:

"An open letter to the Democrats in Congress:Congratulations. Now pay attention. Do not make the mistake of thinking the American people have chosen you to lead us. It's just that we are so fed up with the Republicans screwing this country within an inch of its life that we are willing to try anything, including getting off our fat asses and going to the polls in enough numbers to defeat the Diebold scheming Repugs.

Repeat. We do not want you, we just hate the Repugs.

Now, if you are smart, you will stay on the horse what won you the election, namely beating the Repugs like a cheap Chinese gong. Make no mistake, the majority of Americans have spoken loud and clear, and we do not like those Jesus-debased, child molesting, torture approving, influence purchasing, environment destroying, lying, scheming, insular, billionaire bastards one bit."

Bush's Head Suffers Damage

At Madame Tussaud's wax museum in Las Vegas, that is:

"Bush's head suffered about $25,000 in damages when a Madame Tussaud's visitor attacked it the day before last week's elections.

No one's pushed one over before," said Jack Taylor, spokesman for the tourist attraction.
Bush has needed repairs a number of times, mostly from having his nose pinched, Taylor added."

thanx to Wonkette

MSNBC Poll

Happy Armistice Remembrance Veterans Day.

-------

Over at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's website they post the following:

"AIPAC Builds Ties With New Lawmakers

AIPAC reached nearly every lawmaker elected in Tuesday’s mid-term congressional elections as part of its effort to educate political candidates on the value of the U.S.-Israel relationship. During the campaign that ended Tuesday, nearly every viable candidate met with AIPAC professional staff members and submitted a position paper summarizing his or her views on U.S. Middle East policy. A non-partisan organization, AIPAC has for decades worked with Republican and Democratic members of Congress to strengthen the ties between the United States and Israel."

All the candidates had a job interview and had to "submit a position paper" explaining how far they'd bend over and spread 'em.
The fucking gall.

Yo Democrats - Put Up Or Shut Up

From Bob

"Democratic Party talking heads are already out there talking about how the election results are not only the best thing since sliced bread, not only the biggest political event of the last 200 years, but also an abrupt end to everything that the neo-cons stand for.

According to these characters Bush and the neocons were uniquely responsible for the wars against Afghanistan and Iraq, the erosion of civil liberties, the legal threats that they claim point in the direction of martial law or fascism, the economic changes that have resulted in the rich getting richer, and all else that's not right with the world.

Okay...then it's put up or shut up time!

Let's see the Democrats rescind the complete Patriot Act. No tinkering around the edges - the whole thing has got to go.

And while they're at it, let's see them dismantle the 1996 Anti-terrorism and pro Death Penalty Act that Clinton signed.

Let's see them restore the right to habeas corpus.

Let's see them end the use of torture by the US military, CIA, private armies paid for with tax dollars, and countries whose governments are under US control."

And a ton of other stuff to rectify the immense damage the corporate scumbags inflicted on us. The one lousy aspect of the startling results we saw the night of Nov. 7 is the spectre of giddy complacency now that the democrats supposedly won. It remains to be seen if they'll reverse the march toward authoritarianism and restore a semblance of a republic.

Pastor Ted To Get Treatment For Gay Cooties

Disgraced hypocrite pastor Ted Haggard is going to start treatment towards "spiritual restoration" :

"After tumbling from the pinnacle of the American evangelical movement amid allegations he snorted meth and cavorted with a male prostitute, Haggard has agreed to a rehabilitation process that could last three to five years."

I think the guy is going to do very well with this.

 The process includes "laying on of hands."

-------

In a related story, the famed Jesus Camp is being shut down. The documentary about the brainwashing center was in theaters this past summer and featured scenes with the aforementioned Pastor Ted.

When the United Nations was founded, Henry Cabot Lodge said something like "the election results will not take the US to heaven, but it will certainly reduce the chances of going to hell." Aside from the Jeebus related references, to me that about sums up my reactions to what happened in the last 48 hours or so.

I've got to admit that I was surprised to see that the elections turned out the way they did. Despite a massive repug war chest, their bully pulpits, seemingly endless tales of obviously crooked voting machine irregularities and voter intimidation, most ballots were cast and counted toward a repudiation of overtly thuggish republicans. It certainly appears that the people in this country overwhelmingly despise the current abuses and were able to make that known in the face of big money and dirty tricks. It seems that the thugs were only able to stem a whopping landslide with their crap; only a third of the senate was contested. One wonders what would have happened if all the seats were fought over.

On the face of it, as the dust settles the results look like some speedbumps and detours for the fascist agenda. The Pathetic Chimp got slapped around in front of the cameras today when he whimpered on about the elections. They're forced to rearrange the deck chairs by shuffling the personnel around. More local control by democrats will frustrate repug consolidation of power as they'll merrily re - jerrymander voting district boundaries. Some might say that congress won't be just a rubber stamp for any more authoritarian insanity.

Yet try as I do to feel otherwise, my cynicism keeps overriding even fun images like seeing Santorum drop kicked out of his Pennsylvania seat. It's hard to shake the perception that yesterday was only a facelift, a symbolic one finger salute against the empire that won't have much meaning in the overall scheme of things. Knowing their penchant for leaving nothing to chance it's entirely possible that the election results were scripted to come out the way they did. It's possible that the fascists thought it was time to put a velvet glove over their iron fist for a while. As Sockpuppet even alluded to as he stammered through his press conference earlier today - "But it's hard to win an election when you're trying to win a write-off campaign"

So what would our overlords gain from taking one step back after two steps forward? Knowing full well how much discontent there is in the country, after three stolen elections it might have been appropriate to throw some crumbs to the so called opposition party. It may have seemed time to finally legitimize the easily hacked touch screen machines. As a matter of fact the MSM is starting to do just that. 80% of the country used them so they have to be touted as a success for when they're used to seal our fate in the 2008 presidential election. It could be that the new democrat controlled congress will now be blamed for the hideous cesspool we're in because of bushista policies.

Scripted or not, it looks like the democrats will wind up not losing one seat in the senate, house or governors' mansions, something that's never happened before in modern american politics according to Billmon. But the cynical part of me doesn't expect jack shit to be done to fix the long list of despicable horrors perpetrated over the last six years. The democratic party failed every gut check and even cheerled while Bush and his cabal perpetrated the mind numbing crimes that will take generations to undo - the worst being Iraq, where if you remember the senate was controlled by a dem majority when it approved Codpiece's adventure. As for possible impeachment of the scumbags, Ms. Pelosi told us in advance of the election to forget about it. Chris Floyd tells us what we can expect from a democrat controlled congress:

"(...) The Democratic leadership is a deeply embedded part of the Establishment; multimillionaires like our soon-to-be Speaker, Nancy Pelosi (who is probably richer than Bush) aren't going to seriously challenge the near-total domination of American politics and society by Big Business and wealthy elites. They may re-arrange the display a little, but they are not going to upset the golden applecart. So while we may see a slight goosing of the minimum wage, we will almost certainly not see a major rollback of the relentless rightwing assault on the rights, protections and well-being of working people and the poor. We can hope for some modifications of the bizarre and punitive prescription drug "reforms" imposed by the Bush Party; but we won't see anything resembling a national health insurance system, despite the majority of Americans in favor of one. We won't see a reinstatement of the safety net that was gutted, pre-Bush, by Democrat Bill Clinton. We won't see major reductions – or indeed, any reductions – in military spending from a party that has faithfully approved every cent of every "special spending bill" that Bush has submitted to finance his off-the-books wars. We won't see a lessening of international tensions from a crew that has spent most of the past year bashing the Bush Administration for not being bellicose enough in threatening Iran, and for not larding Israel with even more deadly weaponry to carry out its aggression in Lebanon and its increasingly frenzied decimation in Gaza. We will not see an immediate withdrawal from Iraq; at best, we will see a few tentative timetables based on unreal and unrealizable "benchmarks" produced by some grandly gassy "bipartisan agreement" based on the face-saving formulas of the "Baker Commission.
There is going to be no impeachment of Bush, even if the Democrats get hold of the Senate. There is going to be no criminal prosecution for the principal architects of the war crime in Iraq (and probably none of small fry either). There will be little or no rollback of the draconian strictures of the Patriot Act, which was overwhelmingly approved by the Democrats, or the many other measures – "national security letters," warrantless surveillance, etc. – introduced hugger-mugger by the "Unitary Executive." Indeed, we will be very lucky if the new Democratic leadership even revisits the Military Commissions Act."

In sum, not much.

So, all the money and machinations of Rove and company could barely buy off a landslide but with such widespread outrage couldn't avoid defeat. There could be litigation and recounts but it doesn't seem like it. But if all the newly formed democratic congress will do is continue business as usual and not slam the brakes on this highway to hell, Rove had nothing to worry about.

update - Looks like I'm not the only one with suspicions.

Face Of The Diebold Selection Process

In Iraq it's purple.

The Saddam Farce

Joe Quinn at Signs of the Times has an excellent overview of the stage play which just happened to culminate two days before the US midterms.

When "Saddam" was supposed to have been captured just about three years ago some things just didn't seem right. Of course was stuff like those ripening-out-of-season dates in one of the few stills released to general consumption. But it was the staginess of the production that didn't sit well with me. Over the next few days all the trite minutiae seemed like it had been hammered out well in advance, tested by focus groups and then packaged for timely delivery. To label the information releases controlled is very much an understatement.


the money shot

Most of all it's been the consistant humiliation factor which stands out to me. The "rat hole", a dentist sticking his fingers in the mouth, underwear pictures, talk of mental breakdown and peeing on himself. If the propagandists wanted to paint a portrait of defeat to the Iraqis (those who actually believed all this) and the home audience, I don't know what else they would have done.

As with 9/11, the phony Al Qaeda boogyman and this election farce our mind control freaks seem to enjoy presenting their extravaganzas to us while they quietly proceed with their agenda. If the real Saddam is currently enjoying a cigar at his lakeside Belarus retreat while a hapless doppelganger gets dragged back and forth in front of us, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.
By the way, the appeals process for the dude will take two years before any execution takes place, just in time for the presidential Diebold selection process on '08.

Top Ten Neocon Tricks For A November Surprise

By Douglas Herman

With an upcoming election, the GOP-enabled Neocons are increasingly nervous. Not so much nervous they might actually lose another rigged election, but nervously awaiting the November surprise that many probably already know is coming.And what exactly could that pre-election or post election surprise be?

1. Iran is attacked by the US or Israel , or a NATO coalition. This attack would occur, of course, following a dastardly sneak attack by those wily Iranians on our US fleet which is, coincidentally, assembled nearby. The only US recourse is to counter- attack. Perhaps the sinking of an old US Navy aircraft carrier by an (alleged) Iranian submarine would initiate the war. Since most Americans know nothing about the fraudulent Gulf of Tonkin attack that led to the Vietnam War, this seems like the #1 pre-election or post election distraction.

2. Terrorist bombing-Pick your American Target. I already wrote about another faked "terrorist" attack here in America months ago. From the Statue of Liberty to another architectural white elephant (WTC), the sneaky terrorists seem undeterred by Homeland Security, especially so close to vital US elections. Vital for the Neocons, that is.

3. Sudden announcement of the capture of Osama bin Ladin. Why not Tuesday morning? This would have the greatest effect immediately pre-election, informing gullible voters (is there any other kind?) that the Neocons can best protect America . Few would question the coincidental capture.

4. Discovery of Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq . Slamdunk pre-election boost for the Neocons who could now chortle about how right they have been all along.

5. Release of those FBI-confiscated videotapes offering conclusive proof that a 757 struck the Pentagon. The right wing talk show hosts would have a field day, and perhaps a substantial boost in the polls. In the subsequent months the 9-11 Truth Movement would labor to prove the videotapes fake. Meanwhile voters might consider how trustworthy the Neocons really are.

6. The fraudulent results of the stolen 2006 election become the distraction itself. The increasing, violent division among Americans becomes the November Surprise itself. Divide and conquer.

7. Dollar collapses within days or weeks following the elections. Of course, only the party in power can save us all, right? Better not vote them out now, especially on the cusp of a worldwide panic and depression.

8. Worldwide epidemic, beginning in whatever US Democratic state ( Massachusetts ?) designated by the Neocons as a sacrificial lamb. Once again, with a boost from the mainstream media, the message would become clear: only the party in power can save us from the panic and spread of the disease.

9. A military coup, right here in good old America . Abrupt cancellation of the elections nationwide. Of course, if the military coup was secretly engineered by the Neocon branch of the CFR, so much the better for their worldwide agenda.

10. A joint US-Israeli attack on Iran immediately following the predicted, massive loss at the polls for the Neocons. Never underestimate the spitefulness of the cabal in power. This is probably the most likely "surprise"---long predicted---whatever happens at the polls.

(Or some sort of combination, or not. It just fucking sucks that we're sitting around making bets on where the criminal swine in our own government will strike again.)

Sockpuppet Jets Around, People Underwhelmed

The more Codpiece campaigns, the less support for repugs.


when is this over

Nov. 4, 2006 - As President George W. Bush jets across Red State America this weekend, Republican candidates are falling further behind Democratic rivals, according to the new NEWSWEEK poll.

GOP's Dick in Butts today.

Vice President Dick Cheney staged a media event today at Butts Army Air Field in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Just so we could be treated to this headline.

-------

Sympathy For Mrs. Haggard's Ass: A Haiku from the Rude One:

Gayle always wondered
Why Ted said, "Jesus enters
Us through our back doors."

American Prison Planet

The Bush Administration as Global Jailor

"Today, the United States presides over a burgeoning empire -- not only the "empire of bases" first described by Chalmers Johnson, but a far-flung new network of maximum security penitentiaries, detention centers, jail cells, cages, and razor wire-topped pens. From supermax-type isolation prisons in 40 of the 50 states to shadowy ghost jails at remote sites across the globe, this new network of detention facilities is quite unlike the gulags, concentration-camps, or prison nations of the past.

Even with a couple million prisoners under its control, the U.S. prison network lacks the infrastructure or manpower of the Soviet gulag or the orderly planning of the Nazi concentration-camp system. However, where it bests both, and breaks new incarceration ground, is in its planet-ranging scope, with sites scattered the world over -- from Europe to Asia, the Middle East to the Caribbean. Unlike colonial prison systems of the past, the new U.S. prison network seems to have floated almost free of surrounding colonies. Right now, it has only four major centers -- the "homeland," Afghanistan, Iraq, and a postage-stamp-sized parcel of Cuba. As such, it already hovers at the edge of its own imperial existence, bringing to mind the unprecedented possibility of a prison planet. In a remarkably few years, the Bush administration has been able to construct a global detention system, already of near epic proportions, both on the fly and on the cheap."

Add to that the vast system of domestic internment camps that KBR, a part of Halliburton, has been merrily building all year and unless you're terminally stupid you understand the purpose of all this. The fascists have been consolidating their power, being very careful to legitimize the unthinkable every step of the way while declaring our rights formerly guaranteed under the constitution to be null and void.
Of course the average, complacent american, if he or she happens to notice word of any of this will automatically assume it's for his or her own good. Only those "other" people who must be doing something wrong because the fascists say so will be locked up and as long as they do what they're told everything will be just fine.
All this is being sold as "Bush's job is to protect americans" and the gullible ignorati will buy it. But there's a slight problem with that. It's not his job. This is his job:

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Protecting the people" is a lie to enable the fascists to set up their filthy police state as they scare the somnambulants into submission and acceptance. They're doing it step by gradual step punctuated by synthetic terror, a thoroughly corrupt media and phony elections, as they habituate us to endless war and suffocating authoritarianism.
And if you don't like that those bunks at the camps are waiting.

Haggard Outed, Christians Convert To Islam

It's hard to judge the ultimate impact of Pastor Ted Haggart being outed as having a long homosexual relationship, but one suspects this is going to get huge at least in the short term.

Colorado is same sex politics central, with two proposals on the ballot tuesday - an amendment banning gay marriage and a measure that would give same sex couples the same civil rights accorded to straight marriages. Colorado's politics seems to be so important at this late date that Cheny is going there for photo ops tomorrow.

Haggard is no small potatos among the rabid christian crowd. He presided over the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), with 45,000 churches and 30 million believers making up the nation's most powerful religious lobbying group. He was in contact with Bush or his minions every week. His New Life Church has 11,000 members and is in Colorado Springs, the Evangelical Center of the Universe. There are hundreds of churches and groups there with more moving in and metastasizing all the time. The heavyweight among those is James Dobson's Focus on the Family who reach 200 million people around the world.

It's going to be shouted from the usual neocon megaphones that this is a political smeer timed to coincide with the elections and especially the same sex amendments in Colorado. That actually holds some water as the accuser, Mike Jones, "told The Associated Press he decided to go public with his allegations because of the political fight. Jones, who said he is gay, said he was upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage."

However if this is skullduggery it's not aimed at the most lucrative of targets. Pastor Ted would actually be considered a moderate among the evangelicals concerning gays. While Dobson would call down fire and brimstone and work to defeat opponents, Haggard would act as a conciliator. He was in support of the 2003 Supreme Court decision to overturn the sodomy laws. He's stated that although his beliefs are opposed to homosexual lifestyles he wouldn't want those beliefs turned into laws. If this was just a hatchet attack why not just make shit up about more high profile gay bashers like Dobson or Rick Santorum? It doesn't look good for Haggard as Jones claims he has solid evidence. That Pastor Ted resigned as well as his church cancelling a rally for him shows that this means a permanent plunge from grace.

There's no doubt that this is going to hit the christians in the solar plexus, hard. I wouldn't begin to speculate on how people will vote in relation to this because it remains to be seen that ANY voting on Nov. 7 will be counted correctly. But with smarmy revelation after scandal after disclosure coming in rapid fire succession, it must be hard counting oneself among the loudly proclaimed family values crowd.

Information about how this entered the media can be gleaned here.

The Repug Rent-a-Riot

With the Diebold selection process coming up in a week I thought it was appropriate to remember an event from the stolen 2000 election. This is the thuggish face of the fascists which helped usher in our national nightmare.



On November 22nd in county offices in Miami, a bunch of people engaged in a violent demonstration to stop the vote counting. It worked.

It turns out that the demonstration was an organized republican demonstration of party loyalists who were called to Miami (with all expenses paid) to incite violence and disrupt the recounts in Miami, where the democrats are in the majority.

The New York Times reported the event like this:
"Further details are emerging about the riot Wednesday that preceded the Miami-Dade County election commission's decision to give up recounting the votes in the presidential election. As election workers sat counting votes, a mob screamed outside, pounded on furniture, tried to force its way into the building, surrounded a Democratic Party official, knocked two television cameramen to the ground, and kicked and punched several people, including a Democratic spokesman as he attempted to hold a news conference."

In fact the violence was actually incited by New York Representative John Sweeney, who was involved in the protest. The repugs pretended to be locals, but this is who they really were:

1. Tom Pyle, policy analyst, office of House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).
2. Garry Malphrus, majority chief counsel and staff director, House Judiciary subcommittee on criminal justice.
3. Rory Cooper, political division staff member at the National Republican Congressional Committee.
4. Kevin Smith, former House Republican conference analyst and more recently of Voter.com.
5. Steven Brophy, former aide to Sen. Fred D. Thompson (R-Tenn.), now working at the consulting firm KPMG.
6. Matt Schlapp, former chief of staff for Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), now on the Bush campaign staff in Austin.
7. Roger Morse, aide to Rep. Van Hilleary (R-Tenn.).
8. Duane Gibson, aide to Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) of the House Resources Committee.
9. Chuck Royal, legislative assistant to Rep. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.).
10. Layna McConkey, former legislative assistant to former Rep. Jim Ross Lightfoot (R-Iowa), now at Steelman Health Strategies.

As Usual, The Democrats Drop The Ball

What a prime opportunity that slipped through their hands yet again.

When Kerry alluded to the very real fact that if young people don't play the system and do something with their lives or they might very well wind up in a uniform in Bumfuckistan, the brownshirts went ballistic. What, are you calling our troops stupid? How dare you, you commie traitor! The troops are our toys, we own them and all the sentiments and hoopla and flag waving and national defense issues dontcha know.

The fact is, the military has been targetting less qualified, less motivated, more socially maladjusted (read poor, but less priviledge doesn't mean less intelligence no matter what the idiotic spin is) young people because their recruitment quotas have plain sucked in recent months. But all that can be debated and it's not really the point. Where the hapless Kerry and virtually all the so called opposition party failed is to not go far enough in pointing out how the military under the criminal cabal royally screws the troops.

How they let recruiters lie to the enlistees.
How they use troop extensions, stop-loss orders, involuntary recalls and multiple deployments as a back door draft.
How veteran's benefits are constantly under attack.
How the pentagon is deliberately sending troops into a toxic environment that will sicken and kill them.
How the mass murderers lied them into getting maimed and dying in Iraq and for what again?

What the spineless democrats should be saying is yeah, get your education, look at all your options, but before you enlist be aware of what the fascists are doing to the military.