Saturday, March 20, 2004
More evidence reinforcing the poor terrorism record and misguided defense strategies of this administration.Yahoo! News - Ex-Aide Says Bush Doing 'Terrible Job': "The Associated Press first reported in June 2002 that Bush's national security leadership met formally nearly 100 times in the months prior to the Sept. 11 attacks yet terrorism was the topic during only two of those sessions.
The last of those two meetings occurred Sept. 4 as the security council put finishing touches on a proposed national security policy review for the president. That review was finished Sept. 10 and was awaiting Bush's approval when the first plane struck the World Trade Center. "
Todd Smyth breaks down some of GWB's failures as a president quite well:
Decisive or Divisive? by Todd Smyth - Democratic Underground: "When asked about president Clinton's performance on defense the only criticism Paul Wolfowitz had was Bill Clinton's obsession with Osama bin Laden. Clinton's plan to eliminate al Qaeda root and branch was completed only weeks before the inauguration of George W. Bush. Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger arranged ten briefings for his successor, Condoleezza Rice, and her deputy, Stephen Hadley. He told Dr. Rice, 'I believe that the Bush administration will spend more time on terrorism in general, and on al Qaeda specifically, than any other subject.''
For nine months the Bush administration did absolutely nothing to defend against bin Laden or al Qaeda. Instead they engaged in an obsession with the Star Wars Missile Defense system which would pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to Bush's best campaign contributors and protect America from nothing. Even if they ever get the system to work, the counter-measures will always be easier and less expensive to create.
Meanwhile, fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Most of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden are in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but George Bush wasted a year invading Iraq? Now that al-Qaeda has had time to regroup and expand, they're gearing up for more attacks. Bush failed to prevent the 9/11 disaster despite a history of attacks, plenty of accurate intelligence and strong warnings from the outgoing Clinton administration."
Decisive or Divisive? by Todd Smyth - Democratic Underground: "When asked about president Clinton's performance on defense the only criticism Paul Wolfowitz had was Bill Clinton's obsession with Osama bin Laden. Clinton's plan to eliminate al Qaeda root and branch was completed only weeks before the inauguration of George W. Bush. Clinton's National Security Advisor Sandy Berger arranged ten briefings for his successor, Condoleezza Rice, and her deputy, Stephen Hadley. He told Dr. Rice, 'I believe that the Bush administration will spend more time on terrorism in general, and on al Qaeda specifically, than any other subject.''
For nine months the Bush administration did absolutely nothing to defend against bin Laden or al Qaeda. Instead they engaged in an obsession with the Star Wars Missile Defense system which would pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to Bush's best campaign contributors and protect America from nothing. Even if they ever get the system to work, the counter-measures will always be easier and less expensive to create.
Meanwhile, fifteen of the 9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. Most of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden are in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but George Bush wasted a year invading Iraq? Now that al-Qaeda has had time to regroup and expand, they're gearing up for more attacks. Bush failed to prevent the 9/11 disaster despite a history of attacks, plenty of accurate intelligence and strong warnings from the outgoing Clinton administration."
"Burma is one of the most repressive, brutal dictatorships in the world," said Charles Kernagan, head of the National Labor Committee, a group that seeks to combat sweatshops internationally. "The Bush-Cheney campaign was putting money into the hands of dictators with that purchase."
From the Daily Misleader:
BUSH MARKETS BURMESE PRODUCTS; EVADES OWN TRADE BAN
According to a new report, President Bush's official campaign is selling
clothing made in Burma - a country whose goods Bush banned for sale in the
U.S. because of their awful human rights, narcotics and sex trafficking
record. According to Newsday, "the merchandise sold on
www.georgewbushstore.com includes a $49.95 fleece pullover, embroidered with
the Bush-Cheney '04 logo and bearing a label stating it was made in Burma,
now Myanmar." (1)
The decision by the president's campaign to defy its own embargo directly
contradicts the president's pledge to enforce existing trade laws. Just this
week the president said Americans need to be "treated fairly" and pledged to
"make sure the playing field is level" on trade. (2) But his decision to
market Burmese textile products evades laws that prevent American workers
from having to compete with Burmese workers who have no minimum wage, human
rights or labor protections. Since Bush was elected, thousands of textile
jobs have been lost -- particularly in the South - and many have questioned
whether the Administration is adequately enforcing trade laws. (3)
On top of evading his own trade laws, the president's effective endorsement
of Burmese goods means his campaign is marketing products from a country the
State Department has repeatedly condemned for human rights abuses (4) and
that the Treasury Department has cited for laundering money from illegal
narcotics dealers (5). Just last year, the president told the United
Nations it needed to more seriously address international sex slavery,
saying, "there's a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the most
innocent and vulnerable." (6) But his own campaign is now marketing products
from a country that experts cite as one of the leaders in international sex
trafficking. (7)
Sources:
1. "Bush campaign gear made in Burma", Newsday, 03/18/2004,
2. "President Discusses Health Access", 03/16/2004,
3. "4,000 textile jobs lost in 2003", Charleston Post and Courier, 01/14/2004
4. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Burma, US Department of State, 02/25/2004
5. States News Service, 03/04/2004.
6. "President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly", 09/23/2003,
7. "Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation: Burma/Myanmar"
BUSH MARKETS BURMESE PRODUCTS; EVADES OWN TRADE BAN
According to a new report, President Bush's official campaign is selling
clothing made in Burma - a country whose goods Bush banned for sale in the
U.S. because of their awful human rights, narcotics and sex trafficking
record. According to Newsday, "the merchandise sold on
www.georgewbushstore.com includes a $49.95 fleece pullover, embroidered with
the Bush-Cheney '04 logo and bearing a label stating it was made in Burma,
now Myanmar." (1)
The decision by the president's campaign to defy its own embargo directly
contradicts the president's pledge to enforce existing trade laws. Just this
week the president said Americans need to be "treated fairly" and pledged to
"make sure the playing field is level" on trade. (2) But his decision to
market Burmese textile products evades laws that prevent American workers
from having to compete with Burmese workers who have no minimum wage, human
rights or labor protections. Since Bush was elected, thousands of textile
jobs have been lost -- particularly in the South - and many have questioned
whether the Administration is adequately enforcing trade laws. (3)
On top of evading his own trade laws, the president's effective endorsement
of Burmese goods means his campaign is marketing products from a country the
State Department has repeatedly condemned for human rights abuses (4) and
that the Treasury Department has cited for laundering money from illegal
narcotics dealers (5). Just last year, the president told the United
Nations it needed to more seriously address international sex slavery,
saying, "there's a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the most
innocent and vulnerable." (6) But his own campaign is now marketing products
from a country that experts cite as one of the leaders in international sex
trafficking. (7)
Sources:
1. "Bush campaign gear made in Burma", Newsday, 03/18/2004,
2. "President Discusses Health Access", 03/16/2004,
3. "4,000 textile jobs lost in 2003", Charleston Post and Courier, 01/14/2004
4. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Burma, US Department of State, 02/25/2004
5. States News Service, 03/04/2004.
6. "President Bush Addresses United Nations General Assembly", 09/23/2003,
7. "Factbook on Global Sexual Exploitation: Burma/Myanmar"
Friday, March 19, 2004
How many times has the current administration lied about Iraq? It's now documented that they've lied at least 237 times.
Thursday, March 18, 2004
McCain nailed it on the Today Show:Yahoo! News - McCain Says Kerry Not Weak on Defense: "'The senator from Massachusetts has given us ample doubts about his judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security,' Cheney said in a speech Wednesday.
Asked on NBC's 'Today' if he thought Kerry was weak on defense, McCain said: 'No, I do not believe that he is, quote, weak on defense. He's responsible for his voting record, as we are all responsible for our records, and he'll have to explain it. But, no, I do not believe that he is necessarily weak on defense. I don't agree with him on some issues, clearly. But I decry this negativism that's going on on both sides. The American people don't need it.' "
Words of wisdom from Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. The backpedalling by Scalia is truly disgusting. Only an idiot would realize it doesn't take much to 'buy' influence of someone you're politically aligned and friends with. The hunting trip was absolutely over the top, and Scalia's refusal to recuse himself brings disrespect to the court while damaging its credibility.
Yahoo! News - Scalia Won't Remove Self From Cheney Case: "The justice said he was guilty only of hunting with a friend and taking a free plane ride to get there. 'If it is reasonable to think that a Supreme Court justice can be bought so cheap, the nation is in deeper trouble than I had imagined,' Scalia wrote. "
Yahoo! News - Scalia Won't Remove Self From Cheney Case: "The justice said he was guilty only of hunting with a friend and taking a free plane ride to get there. 'If it is reasonable to think that a Supreme Court justice can be bought so cheap, the nation is in deeper trouble than I had imagined,' Scalia wrote. "
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
From moveon.org:A year ago today, the Bush Administration was making its final push toward war in Iraq. We know now that much of what we were told about the threat that Iraq posed was untrue. And rather than own up to their distortion of the facts, Bush administration officials are denying they ever said such things.
But this Sunday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld got caught blatantly contradicting his past statements, and we have the video clip. You can check it out at:
http://www.moveon.org/censure/caughtonvideo/
Poor Karl. It looks like there are even more people within the Republican Party who think this administration is on a dangerous path of warmongering, homophobic bigotry, fiscal irresponsibility, and environmental disaster:
Yahoo! News - Rove: Kerry Has Taste of Bush Campaign: "[Karl Rove] expressed irritation that some disgruntled Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have increasingly chosen to go to the news media to air their complaints, rather than bringing them directly to the White House."
Yahoo! News - Rove: Kerry Has Taste of Bush Campaign: "[Karl Rove] expressed irritation that some disgruntled Republicans in Congress and elsewhere have increasingly chosen to go to the news media to air their complaints, rather than bringing them directly to the White House."
Tuesday, March 16, 2004
It's interesting to note that the number of people living in poverty in the US has increased on George Bush's watch:The official poverty rate rose, from 11.7 percent in 2001 to 12.1 percent in 2002. The number in poverty increased also, by 1.7 million people, to 34.6 million in 2002. That's also up from 11.3% in 2000 for a 7% increase in the number of people living in poverty in the USA on GWB's watch.
Is he being "compassionate" or "conservative" when he allows this to happen? Or is the Republican controlled legislature to blame?
Monday, March 15, 2004
Hey Wal-Mart Employees, check out the calculator at the link below to find out how much more money you could be making doing the same job for somebody else:WalMartyrs: "384"
TheStar.com - Was silencing Stern Bush league?: "'There's a lot of people saying that the second that I started saying, `I think we gotta get Bush out of the presidency,' that's when Clear Channel banged my ass outta here. Then I find out that Clear Channel is such a big contributor to President Bush, and in bed with the whole Bush administration, I'm going, `Maybe that's why I was thrown off: because I don't like the way the country is leaning too much to the religious right.' And then, bam! Let's get rid of Stern. I used to think, `Oh, I can't believe that.' But that's it! That's what's going on here! I know it! I know it!'
Stern's since been relentless, detailing the close ties between Clear Channel executives and the Bush administration, and insisting that political speech, not indecency, got him in trouble. "
Stern's since been relentless, detailing the close ties between Clear Channel executives and the Bush administration, and insisting that political speech, not indecency, got him in trouble. "
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Apparently, some Republican techie with as little foresight as George W. Bush himself thought it would be cool to build a poster generator where people could type in their own words for integration into a Bush/Cheney '04 poster. Surprise surprise, it was quite popular with non-Bush supporters.That function has now been disabled, but just for fun, I created my own inspirational poster:
I heard about a Bush Poster Generator over at John Moltz's Blog.
Remember how much cheaper gas was when we didn't have a White House full of oil men? I mean oil people, since Condoleeza Rice was on the board of directors of Chevron and had an oil tanker named after her.
Yahoo! News - Gas Prices Reach Record High of $1.77: "CAMARILLO, Calif. - Prices for all grades of gasoline rose 1.34 cents in the last two weeks to a record high nationwide average of $1.77 a gallon, according to a study released Sunday
Yahoo! News - Gas Prices Reach Record High of $1.77: "CAMARILLO, Calif. - Prices for all grades of gasoline rose 1.34 cents in the last two weeks to a record high nationwide average of $1.77 a gallon, according to a study released Sunday
