Reports have been coming in, regarding yesterday's freeper counter-protest in Crawford. There were four arrests- two of which were definitely Bush supporters. I tried to research the other two, but nothing conclusive came up. Personally, I'm willing to bet that all four arrests were pro-war counter-demonstrators. It's just their style.

Aside from the horse butts proudly declaring their disgust for Cindy, more reports of whacky behavior among the increasingly desperate opposition have come to the fore:

The goofballs from Protest Warrior showed up. If ya'll don't know them, they're a bunch of wanna-be "yippie" style warmongers for the lord. When they showed up, their signs proved to be too confusing for the assembled freeper crowd, who turned on PW attendees, grabbing their signs away from them and ripping them up. Check out the pictures, here. You'll see, in the second photograph, that the pro-Bush demonstrators not only attacked these people, they sent the founder of Protest Warrior packing, with their remaining, un-shredded signs.

The true majesty of this, is that, if you check out the official website for "Move America Forward", the group that sponsored the Pro-Bush rally, you'll see that they proudly list PW as one of their participating organizations.

In Another incident:

Ken Robinson, of Richardson, Texas, who described himself as a Vietnam veteran, was carrying a sign at a “You Don't Speak for Me, Cindy!” rally. The sign read, “How to wreck your family in 30 days by ‘b**** in the ditch' Cindy Sheehan.”

Kristinn Taylor, an event organizer with FreeRepublic.com, heard about the sign and rushed up to Robinson.

“This is our rally and you can't do that here,” he said, only for Robinson to insist he was within his rights.

Camera crews rushed in and Taylor turned to face them.

“To all the media here, this sign is not representative of the crowd here today,” Taylor announced. Some of the crowd around Robinson came forward to shake his hand, while others chanted, “Idiot, go home.”

The two men then squared off and raised their voices.

“Just get outta here!” Robinson yelled, and aimed a kick at Taylor's midsection. Taylor called for security, and a young Woodway policeman quickly showed up.

“I have the right to freedom of speech,” Robinson said.

Robinson continued to protest loudly as police handcuffed him and led him away.

From the Waco Tribune Herald

(side note- the sign in question, had the web address for the Glenn Beck show, at the bottom. Kudos, Glenn- your fanbase is every bit as despicable as you are! Doing a cursory web search, I found that "The Bitch in the Ditch" is the current freeper term of endearment for Cindy Sheehan. These troglodytes always love to sermonize about what Casey's feelings would be, regarding his mother's protest. I can tell you right now, were Casey here to answer the question, he'd have a SERIOUS problem with his mother being called a "Bitch"- and I dare any of you lurkers out there to challenge this.)

It's amazing, innit? The few remaining diehard war supporters are turning on each other, like starving wolves, or digging themselves deeper into a pit of rhetorical idiocy.

I shall end this ramble, on a positive note: Click here for a VERY cool photoblog, from Camp Casey.

Now- the Iraqi Constitution. While Cindy's vigil has continued, one of her questions has been answered: "What 'Great Cause' did my son die for?"

Today, the Iraqi constitution was issued, in its first draft. The only reason it passed, was the the Sunnis efectively walked out of the discussion. The consitution, as it is currently drafted, sets up a Shia-dominated islamic regime, to be governed by Shariah islamic law. So- we now know:

The "noble cause" was the creation of another hard-line islamic theocracy in the middle east, rent from within by civil war, and aligned closely with Iran. (and wasn't it deliciously ironic, when it turned out that Ahmed Chalabi, the man who convinced the neocons to start this war, turns out to be an Iranian agent? But- I digress.)

Now, call me a peacenick vegan atheist coward traitor mooreon, but I have a hard time believing that creating such a state is much of a "Noble Cause".

The ultimate irony of all of this? Iraq, despite Hussein's tyranny, was the most secular state in the middle east, prior to our "liberation".

The major gripe the people in the middle east have had with our country, is that we have a nasty habit of going into places we're not wanted, and propping up regimes that are hostile to the people they ostensibly govern. Once again, we've become the mirror image of the stereotype they've painted of us.

Okay- first off- I watched the MSM media, today, and the only mentions of Camp Casey, have been buried in reports about the "massive" pro-Bush rallies that have descended upon the area. CNN's reportage (such as it is) of the incidents in Crawford, has been particularly inane.

They show a pan shot of twelve people, screaming bloody murder and waving "Bush/Cheney" signs, while a voiceover alludes to "2,000" counter-demonstrators. Do they back this up with any footage? Nope. Do they mention that thousands more have gathered, on the other side of the street, at Camp Casey? Nope. Not one shot- not one still image of Camp Casey 1 or 2 made it to the airwaves, today, outside of Air America, and a few sites.

My favorite report out of the area, today. is that a few pro-Bush folks decided to ride their horses down the road fronting Camp Casey, with "Cindy Doesn't speak for me", writen on their horse's backsides, in shoe polish.

Okay- so Cindy doesn't speak for a horse's ass- great! Rush Limbaugh, Mike Savage, and Glenn Beck already do a stellar job, doing that, right now. After four years of our national dicourse being defined by horse's asses, I, personally, believe that it's time for us to go beyond equine sphincters, when it comes to politics, and issues as grievous as war.

But- here's what gets me:

For well onto four years, we who are opposed to Bush's war, and the neocon agenda, have been painted with the widest possible brush, as traitors, and terrorist sympathizers. We've been labeled as the "radical minority", and have been relegated to the corners of political discourse.

Suddenly, the tables have turned. Bush, and the neocon right, are on the defensive. They cast about themselves in desperation, reciting talking points, and casting ridiculous aspersions, while their appeals fall on deaf ears.

Quo Vadis, America? Where do we go from here?

Will we, in the antiwar movement, produce our own Hannitys, Coulters, and O'Reillys, and follow the same path to destruction that the right has, or will we rise above such idiocy, and take this opportunity to create something better, something new?

Pat Robertson's comments- well- all I have to say is:

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM A MESSIANIC MADMAN?

Strange- just as the corporate media was starting to ask some serious questions about Bush's policies and behavior, and things were looking worse and worse, in the court of public opinion for Bush, Pat Robertson took to the airwaves and "showed his ass" (as we used to say, down south.)

Pat is obviously playing a game of media interception for his golden boy. It's working, too- after five days of watching, with jaw agape, the corporate media actually asking some serious questions, in regards to Iraq, and Bush's continued failures, today, it's been "Robertson, Robertson, Robertson."

This is not to diminish the insanity or callousness of Pat's remarks. But again- WHAT DID YOU EXPECT FROM THIS IDIOT? Quite frankly, when I happen to pass by his show during my channel-surfing, I occasionally watch it. And his daily ramblings are so idiotic, that this is just par for the course. One day, I expect to tune in, and hear him say "Nipple swimming pool booger punch bloated discharge, dismounting floating nostrils, eats buckets and spoonfulls inside of asphalt."

'Nuff said- I refuse to spend one more minute chasing after this red herring.

Bush's "offensive". Anyone who doubts the impact of Cindy Sheehan's Craford Vigil just has to look at the recent departure of Bush from his vacation, to embark on a red state "pro-war" tour, to counter the growing distrust of his nonexistent strategy vis-a-vis Iraq. His first egagement in this "meatgrinder tour" was in Salt Lake City (which, BTW, was countered by a HUGE anti-Bush rally, headed by the Mayor of SLC), and he started off with a statement that just blew me away.

His first sentence to the gathered audience was a mention of the 1868 americans who had died in his misbegotten crusade in Iraq. Man- that brought me back...

I remember, in the trial of OKC bomber Timothy McVeigh, his defense attorney started his case by reading off the names of the 144 people who had died, in that atrocity. The media, that day, was abuzz- "What the hell is this guy doing? Hanging his client?"

Bush did the same damn thing. He stood before the cameras, and thousands of veterans, and said "This is how many people I've killed- why stop, now? If we don't feed more bodies into the incinerator, I'll look even more like a fool, than I do, already. We have to honor my lies, with the lives of more innocents."

Things are falling apart for Bush- his current approval ratings are LOWER than those that Nixon enjoyed, days prior to his shameful resignation. Do I feel good about this? Damned right I do.

When I started this site, Bush's approval ratings were sky-high, no one dared to question anything. Many progressive websites had suspended operation, because they had bought into the lie that to raise any doubts about our divine leader was treasonous. The drumbeats to war were sounding, and all judgement had fled.

What a difference a few years makes. Where once we who opposed Bush were a much-maligned "minority", we now find ourselves as the majority, and we're growing every day. The only polling statistic that Bush has a slight advantage in is "keeping us safe from terror", but even that is slipping. If Bush dares to let another 9/11 happen, it would only spell further disaster for his numbers. There is no way out for him.

My joy at this state of affairs is tempered by two factors:

1: The cost. Tens upon tens of thousands of lives, wasted for a self-serving lie, on the part of Bush, and his neocon cadre. An economy spiralling into oblivion. Near-irreparable harm done to our society, national honor, infrastructure, and environment. Why did it take this much horror, damage, and Bush bowl lying, to bring people to their senses?

2: It isn't over yet. Bush has three years more to wreak his damage, and if you think that he'll be cowed into being a better statesman, or a better human being, by the overwhelming public disgust with his policies, and actions, you're sadly mistaken. Gas and fuel prices will continue to rise. The war in Iraq will continue, and will claim more and more lives, with no concrete solution or exit strategy in sight. Outlandish and harmful bills will continue to spew forth from the white house, with very little press or congressional scruitiny. The republicans will steal a fillibuster-proof majority in 2006, and things will get even worse. Bush doesn't care if his approval rating is at 1%, and millions die for his arrogant policies- we're scum, to him.

Keep up with Camp Casey here- daily blogging, and videos:

Also, Brad Blog has recently arrived in Crawford, and will be broadcasting daily, soon.

One statement, before I depart: The latest smear against Cindy, from the neocon right, is that we on the left are "idolizing" Cindy Sheehan.

Okay- listen up, neocons:

When you were clamoring for this war, we took to the streets in our millions, worldwide, to make our voices heard. No one listened to us.

When you declared "Mission Accomplished", we stood in vigils, worldwide, for the American and Iraqi dead, and for those who were certain to die, in the coming years. No one listened to us.

When billions of tax dollars, and thousands of lives were squandered, we organized, marched, petitioned, and tried to help people understand what was going on. No one listened.

When the american death toll passed 1,000, and the Iraqi civilian death toll wended its way towards 100,000, you guys kept repeating the Rove talking point that "Deaths mean progress". We continued to warn the american people of what certainly lay before us. No one listened to us.

When we again took to the streets in March, 2004, in our millions, no one listened to us.

When Bush was "re-elected", and the second assault on Fallujah commenced, we tried to raise alarms about what was certain to ensue. No one listened to us.

When Bush made his sick jokes about WMDs, and showed his true lack of moral character- no one listened to us.

When we yet again took to the streets in March, 2005, in our millions, no one listened to us.

They listened to YOU- when you dipped your fingers in dye, to show your support for a sham election, in a nation in which the need for food, clean water, and electricity is still a matter of life or death. They listened to YOU, when you kept referring to the Iraqi dead as "collateral damage", when pictures of maimed and shredded children came to us, from Iraq. They listened to YOU, joking about "college pranks", when images from Abu Ghraib inflamed the disgust of the civilized world.



Now- your lies have run their course. We've wasted 300 billion dollars, extinguished thousands upon thousands of Iraqi and American lives, and FINALLY, NOW- after all of the death, loss, and lies...

The corporate media is listening to us, because one lone woman chose to pitch her tent outside of Bush's Ranch, and is demanding answers to the questions that we've all been asking, for over two years.

The critics are fast to criticize the messenger, in a vain hope to discredit the message. In the past week, the neocon right has done everything to defame Cindy, and have wound up with a generous serving of eggs on their collective faces. Concurrent with this hail of conservative vitriol upon the founder of Camp Casey, the movement it has come to represent, continues to grow.

The anti-war movement has never been about Cindy- it's about us- all of us- even you republicans out there. When the son or daughter of a republican parent dies in the sands of Iraq- we mourn their death, not as a result of our political agenda, but because we hate seeing people die for a lie. The injustice of this war isn't a right or left issue- it's a HUMAN issue.

CHECK IT OUT- I anticipated that we'd have, at most, 100 folks turn out at the Montclair vigil for Cindy Sheehan, last night, but, in fact, 300 showed up. It was the largest demonstration that I've seen in Montclair, in the six years that I've lived here- easilly eclipsing the vigil held, days before the outbreak of war. The crowd was energetic, strong, and spread to adjascent corners, as the small square that was our venue overflowed.

The most amazing thing is that I'm willing to bet that just three weeks ago, 90% of those in attendance had never even heard of Cindy.

Don't ever tell me that one person can't make a difference. Check out details of vigils, nationwide, here

Cindy, and the vigils, have been featured as front-page news, the world over, and have deflated the Bush propaganda bubble, while simultenously exposing the right-wing media machine as the hateful, desperate animal that it is.

Bush has no safe option, now. I agree with the statement that appeared on the This Divided State Blog:

I think that Cindy Sheehan has offered George Bush an amazing opportunity. Think about what would happen if George came down to Camp Casey in his truck all by himself except for his dogs. In the back of the truck is the fixin's for a barbecue. And he spent the afternoon out there, without his handlers, talking to these people, showing him that he is human, let them know that he cares. I think that would be an amazing presidential moment that would make it onto all of those "Best Presidential Moments" reels and lists and what not.

Indeed, he could have, but Bush has no respect for human life, and thus, he finds himself being buried, and it makes my heart soar with a joy I haven't felt in over a year.

Pat Buchanan was on MSNBC tonight, and pointed out the obvious: Even if Bush tucks his tail between his legs, and meets with Cindy, now, it will universally be hailed as a surrender, and a capitulation. He has NO WAY OUT, other than to wait it out, and look like an even bigger coward, when he ducks out, at the end of his vacation.

Rove- he's lost it. He obviously spent a few hours on the phone with Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, and the rest of these vipers, giving them their marching orders: attack, defame, cast apersions, and insult. And so they did- the hatred and vitriol that has dribbled out of the right, in recent days, has been of such a foul and odious nature, that even conservatives and diehard republicans are turned off by it. Seeing their grasp on the sheeple slipping away, these sowers of hatred and division redoubled their attacks, to no avail. Today, the last few peeps emerging from their dark netherworld have reeked of- yep- FEAR.

The Fox/Talk Radio machine that was able to defame and villify the junior Senator from Massachusetts into "defeat", in our last "election" has been effectively neutered, by one woman, sitting outside of a tent, in Crawford, Texas. When Cindy's been asked about the statements of Limbaugh/Beck/et al, all she does is say "well- that's unfortunate", and gets on with life- she refuses to give their statements the dignity of a response, and they break apart like dry autumn leaves.

The best of this? Even the pro-Bush folks who have been dogging Camp Casey have been cowed into showing civility. While eating lunch, today, I was leafing through today's paper, and in their coverage of last night's vigil, they featured an amazing photograph:

A few days back, some callous yahoo drove his truck over the miniature crosses and american flags that were posted, adjascent to Camp Casey. The photograph was of a Camp Casey protestor, and a PRO-BUSH counter-protestor, working together, to put the flags and crosses back up. Considering the deep divide over this war, seeing such a thing was nothing short of amazing.

Don't EVER tell me that one person can't make a difference.

LAST-MINUTE NOTE: As I returned from work, this evening, I learned that Cindy has had to return to California, as her mother has suffered a stroke, but, if possible, will return to Camp Casey in 24-48 hours. I am sure that all of us are united in keeping Cindy and her Mother in our thoughts and prayers, in the coming days. I sincerely hope that she is able to return to her vigil, soon, as Camp Casey is currently moving to a new location, closer to Bush's ranch, and the freepers are going to descend upon the area, this weekend, and will launch an all-out assault on the new campsite. Before the movie review- a few new items regarding Cindy Sheehan's Crawford vigil.

A new petition has been started, and already has almost 17,000 signatures. Drop by and sign on.

Secondly, I recieved an e-mail, yesterday, that raises some good points, regarding the right-wing accusation that Cindy is "politicizing" her son's death:

You said republicans say she is politicizing her sons death. Did you forget about the converntion in which BUSH had a Couple whos son was killed and that they were still behind him and that his death would not be for nothing ISN'T THAT POLITICIZING???

Or the Iraqi woman they flew all the way over here (on our tax dollars I'd be willing to bet) to show how she was on Bush and Co.s side? ISN'T THAT POLITICIZING??

AAANNNNDDD I'd bet you ANY amount of money had this woman (meaning Cindy) came to Crawford to show her support of Bush and the war YOU CAN BET ANYTHING he'd have had her trot around the ranch and on EVERY T.V. conference he did in FACT he'd have called a special press conference to show her off. You should remeind everyone who he did the about at the republican convention and USED it for personal gain. NOW THATS PATHETIC!!!!

Indeed, thanks!

And finally, Bush says not meeting with Cindy is necessary for him to "go on with my life". What a jerk.

First off, the computer suffered a catastrophic windows failure, and everything from photoshop, to flash, to grand theft auto is gonna have to be re-installed. it'll take a week to get everything back up working, but, such is life (and before ya'll on the Mac side even raise the issue- I'M NOT GONNA SWITCH. When Grand Theft Auto comes out for the Mac, then, and only then, we'll talk.)

Thankfully, the dire predictions about the imminent arrest of Cindy Sheehan have not come to pass, but the right-wing slander against her has taken on proportions that just sickens my soul.

First off, a few republican lurkers have forwarded me a letter signed simply "Cherie", who purports to represent the family of Casey Sheehan, saying that Cindy's vigil is an affront to her son's memory. "Cherie", whoever this person is, ends this letter with "Sincerely, Casey Sheehan's grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins." Strange how none of them signed with their full names. In my own family, if you brought all of my grandparents, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins into a room together, they'd fill a mid-sized auditorium, and I'm sure that, if such a document was issued, in my family's name, at least a half-dozen would step forward to sign onto such a document, but not in this case...

This "letter of protest" at Cindy's actions, so waved about by Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, and the rest of the right-wing pundit corps, is a tissue of lies.

Moving on...

One of the favorite canards that the right wing likes to throw at Cindy, is that she's "politicizing" the death of her son.

Uhh... I seem to remember, once upon a time, idiot-boy landing on an aircraft carrier, bedecked in a flight suit, and a parachute harness that made his "package" look ten times larger than it actually was*, and, subsequently, giving a speech, beneath a banner stating "mission accomplished". This was spun, by the corporate media, and the Rove/Fleischer machine, into "the photo op to end all photo ops."

Afterwards, the MSM and the republican spinsters branded Bush as the "triumphant conquerer."

Gee- call me silly, and sentimental, but as Bush mounted the podium on the USS Ambraham Lincoln, almost 200 american soldiers, and untold Iraqis, were already moldering in their graves.

Bush's podium, on that grand occasion, might as well have been made from the bones and sinews of those he sent off to war, against a nation that had never threatened, nor attacked us. If there's anyone who has politicized the deaths of those who have fallen in Iraq- it is Bush- not Cindy Sheehan.

Which brings us to my third point, tonight

Bush's statement in regards to Cindy's vigil...

I was actually shocked, by this. Bush, a "man" who is a callous liar, traitor, murderer, war criminal, and serial sociopath, actually brought himself in front of the cameras, to address Sheehan's concerns in the most oblique way. in classic Rove-fed fasion, he avoided the issue, entirely, and blew talking points out of his ass.

In his statements, he read at length, from the inveitable prepared statement, about unilateral troop pullouts, but he never- NEVER- addressed Cindy's two core questions:

"Why did my son have to die?", and "what is the 'Noble cause' that he died for?"

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS, MR, BUSH- WE'RE ALL WAITING.

Two questions- just show that you have a pair, and answer them, Mr. "President"- that's all we want. For once, in your misbegotten life, show that you can lend dignity to a broken condom, and tell us why so many, had to die, for your goddamned lies. That's all we want.

*I hadda throw this in. Republican women might have swooned, when they saw Bush parading his crotch around the USS Abraham Lincoln, but, well...

The video is no longer up online, but I still remember the footage of Bush, ensconced in his hotel suite, during the republican convention, provided for us by the Daily Show, back in 2000.

It was classic- as Bush sat in his hotel suite, gazing at a bank of televisions, all showing the convention applauding his nomination- well- how can I put this delicately.....

Bush had, well- "morning wood" (even though it was well into the evening.) He was actually sexually excited, at his nomination, and the cameras captured it, in its full glory.

Or lack, thereof. Now- I'm not a great scholar of male tumescence (I can only use myself as a reference, really,) but honest to goodness- what I saw in that footage made me feel honestly sorry for Laura... Is THAT the instrument that led to Laura Jr and Jenna?

I guess, when all you have to offer in the bedroom is about three and a half inches, you have to make up for it by killing a few hundred thousand people, with BIG, BIIIIG missiles...

Contact the media and the whitehouse via the above link (which seems to go up and down- if it's not working- check back in an hour), and sign MoveOn's petition, here.

It's become more and more apparent that Bush isn't just arrogantly ignoring Cindy- he's actually afraid of her- the buzz is that Bush has declared that Cindy will constitute "a threat to national security", if she doesn't leave, by thursday. A middle-aged mom, sitting in a ditch by the side of the road, is such an affront to Bush, that he's willing to pull out the Patriot Act to toss her in the pokey.

I could wax long and hard about this, but I'll sum it up in four words: Bush is a COWARD.

Yeah- it's fun playing dress-up on an aircraft carrier and sending thousands of kids off to die so your friends can make a few extra billion, but when it comes to standing face-to-face with one bereaved mother, Bush is nowhere to be seen.

Amy Branham raised some interesting side-issues in her column on Buzzflash.com:

For the last couple of days I have been hearing that Cindy Sheehan will be considered a threat to national security if she does not leave her post by Thursday. At this point, it’s important to ask: why Thursday? Why is Cindy not a threat today or tomorrow? Why wasn't she considered a threat to national security Saturday when we first marched out to the ranch? What is the difference between Thursday and now?

Let me tell you what the difference is. Thursday Condy Rice and Rummy will be arriving at King George's castle. Sometime either Thursday or Friday King George is going to some kind of fundraiser at the ranch of a local crony. My sources tell me that the only way for King George to get to that ranch from his castle is to drive by Cindy and her supporters. That's right, fellow peasants; King George would have to actually see Cindy.

But that's not the real story. The real story is that the media will be there to record absolutely every movement, every event that happens when King George's carriage goes by. King George has no plans to stop, no plans to talk to Cindy. The media would be there to report and videotape King George driving right on by the throng of peasants and the mother of a fallen hero, snubbing his nose at them as he goes his merry way to the party.

This would not be good for King George in the eyes of his public. In fact, it would be very, very bad.

I've said it before- but it bears repeating- the right-wing lurkers have pretty much faded away, in recent months- it's getting increasingly apparent that these losers are slowly waking up, and are beginning to see Bush as the spineless thug that he is.

Cindy Sheehan needs your help. Sheehan, a bereaved mother who lost her 24-year-old son, Casey, in Iraq, on April 4, 2004, is camped outside of Bush's Crawford Ranch, and ain't going away, until Bush meets with her, and explains himself.

On August 3rd, Bush emerged from his protective shell, forced to respond to two days of violence in Iraq which claimed 21 american lives. Bush's response? "We have to honor the sacrifices of the fallen by completing the mission." "The families of the fallen can be assured that they died for a noble cause."

This empty rehetoric didn't sit well with me, and it sure as hell didn't, with Cindy. She has two questions for Bush: "Why did my son have to die?", and "What's this 'Noble Cause' that you say he died for?"

Before I comment on this further, I urge you to go to Meetwithcindy.org, sign the petition, make a few phone calls to the media and white house, and spread Cindy's story far and wide. You can find further resources at: Gold Star Families for Peace, Military Families Speak out, and the Crawford Peace House.

Give her all you can.

Now, here's what gets me- the response to this one, lone woman, by both the right wing, and Crawford, Texas law enforcement has been predictably shameful. Matt Drudge (he doesn't deserve a link) has lambasted her, calling her a hypocrite and a "flip-flopper". Crawford Cops forced her peace march into a ditch, and then Bush sent out two junior-level functionaries out to try to intimidate her, And Free Republic offers up the usual idiocy:

"This woman needs to be freeped! Any freepers down Texas way, please go down there and give her the business."

"I for one am sick of this lying-self-pitying-wallowing-in-her-new-found-infamy-crying-for-attention-bitch."

"What We Are About To Do Here Is What The Good Lord Would Call A Cleansing of the Wicked. I Call It A Good Old Fashioned Texas Ass Kicking."

"May all these traitorous scum live a miserable life and die a slow death."

You get the idea.

This little tidbit hit the BBC today, and it's no great surprise to me.

One of the lasting legacies of Bush's incursion into Iraq will be, rather than it diminishing terrorism and islamic fundamentalism, it gave terrorists yet another fertile field in which to grow, expand, and prosper. Dismissing, for now, the possibility that these weapons were extracted from Iran by our covert assets working within iran, and subsequently planted, one must consider the timliness of this announcement. It's been just over a week, since our appointed ambassador to the UN arrived in New york, to be greeted with jeers and rotten veggies. The coming war with Iran is long overdue, and this comes, just in time.

Now, let's just suppose, for a moment, that, indeed, Iran is sending guns and ammo through their porous western border, into Iraq. Let's talk common sense here- WHO COULD BLAME THEM? They are flanked on both sides, by nations ostensibly occupied by the United States (but which, in reality, are US colonies, devolving into chaos), and they're far more savvy than the MSM would like us to believe. They KNOW about Bush's ties to the project for a new american century, and they know they're in the crosshairs.

The really frightening thing that not that Iranians weapons are finding their way into Iraq, but that this will be used as the latest justification of the "Liberation" of Iran. Bush's polling numbers are tumbling, freefall, and when things go bad for the Bush Bowl, expect insanity, to ensue. Personally, I don't expect a full invasion of Iran, until the Republicans steal a filibuster-proof majority, in 2006, but one never knows...

This summer has been brutal, and we've only just begun to enter the hottest month, August. Now- lemme tell ya- I may live in New Jersey- but I KNOW hot. I lived down south in Tennessee for 13 years, and when I moved up here, I thought I'd be leaving the muggy insanity that's par for the course down there, behind- not so.

Temperatures here have routinely hovered around 100, with humidity that rivals anything that I experienced down south. This is a good a time, as any, to address another 800-pound gorilla that the Bush bowl refuses to admit exists: Global Warming.

A few weeks back, I ranted at length about the Bush Bowl's indifference and contempt for science, in their approval of the Insanity that has become known as "Intelligent Design". Ya see, there are some folks out there who believe that God/"Bob"/Jehova/Yaweh/Zoaraster sneezed mankind into existence with a dog and pony show involving some mud, good intentions, and overweening narcisism. That's all fine and good- believe what you want to- that's what's great about america. However, those who hold to this religious indoctrination (It's in a book- it MUST be true!), seem to be so insecure in these beliefs, that they're insisting that their local school districts teach these articles of faith, as if they're actually grounded in scientific fact and observation.

The problem with this is that, well- THE JURY IS IN, ON EVOLUTION, and ya know what? It's TRUE! The world is NOT 6000 years old- it's billions of years old. We're HERE, we're EVOLVED, GET USED TO IT!

The same is true for Global Warming. The Bush bowl is doing everything it can to suppress the facts, regarding global warming, and man's contribution to such, but again- THE JURY IS IN ON GLOBAL WARMING, and it's a reality.

Anyone- ANYONE- who looks at the chemicals and trends that are burbling through our atmosphere can only come away with one conclusion: The earth is getting hotter- over the past 30 years, there has been a steady warming trend, which has ticked upwards, in direct proportion to the measured amounts of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. I could ramble on about this- but I'm not a scientist, and unlike Bush, I'll admit it. AMPLE evidence exists, and exhaustive research has been done, by better minds than mine. Their research can be read here, here, and here, among MANY other places.

But the Bush bowl refuses to acknowledge it- why? Because, well- cutting back on greenhouse gasses means that the chairmen of Exxon/Mobil, Halliburton, Ford, Chrysler, GM, and other multibillion dollar corporations might make a few million less a year, if they're forced to cut back on emissions- and hell- we can't have that.

Now, conservatives and Bush supporters have their ready-made refutation of all of this evidence- their proof that Global Warming is a Hoax? A 1998 peition, issued by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, supposedly signed by 17,000 "scientists" saying that all of us worrying about the fate of our planet are doing a collective "chicken little" routine...

Who signed this document? Let's look at the role call:

"Dr. Ginger Halliwell" ("Ginger Spice" of the erstwhile pop group "Spice Girls")
"Dr. B.J. Hunnicut" (a fictional doctor from M*A*S*H)
"Dr. Michael J Fox" (Strange- I thought he was a democrat, and an actor)
And Many other fictional/fraudulent names, including some Hanna-Barabara cartoon characters.

Needless to say, this document has been proven to be a total and laughable hoax. Sadly to say- this was the very document that the Bush Bowl cited, when they rejected the Kyoto Protocols.

Feel any safer, yet? Still think BushCo is looking out for your safety? Just curious...

Now, Bush's refutation of Science, in deference to his six-toed southern inbred base on the issue of "intelligent design" is bad enough- but that just pollutes the minds of our children. That's horrible in and of itself, but their willful ignorance, when it comes to the safety of the only planet we have to call home, is a million times worse.

And hell- let's make it "science night" on Bushflash (it's late, so let's boogie, for a bit...)

A lot of Bush supporters/inbred redneck conservatives always bristle at the money that we "waste" on NASA.

Oh, yeah- we spend a few million, sending up a few fur'ners and damyankees up on one uv them thar shuttles, and it's SHAMEFUL WASTE. Ya'll know whut's even WURSE? Sendin' a damned ol' ro-bawt over thur ta MARZ, and all we get is a few pictures uv DURT to look at.

A-HEM...

For the money we've wasted on Bush's war in Iraq (185 billion, as of this writing)- we could eradicate AIDS, within a generation, give every kid in america alive today a four-year college scholarship, or- dig this:

At a per-pound cost of 5,000 dollars, we could propel a space station 1/3 the weight of the empire state building into orbit, for the money we've blown killing Iraqis. The international space station we're trying to build, right now, is projected to have a pricetag of 36 billion, when completed. That's the price of 9 months of war in Iraq. (and unlike the war in Iraq, the cost of the ISS is shared, amongst a number of nations.)

Now- maybe I've watched too many episodes of "Babylon 5", but the exploration of space is mankind's one and only hope of an enduring future. As much as Frist, Beck, Limbaugh, and Bush would like to envision the rapture being the end-all of human existence, I'm sorry (actually, I'm not) to remind them that people of their deluded ilk have been anticipating such, for about 2000 years, and while they've been on their knees, the planet's gone to pot.

We're damned lucky, as an (EVOLVED) species, to have reached the point that we can even concieve, much less execute, such a lofty goal as colonizing other planets. It's damned shameful, when we have the means, the ability, and the cash to establish a lasting and credible presence outside of this fragile plant's atmosphere, that we waste it all on a war to make a handful of rich republicans even richer.

I weep, truly weep, for our future- a future that could have been, but has yet again been squandered by those who promised so much, yet only led us into deeper and deeper spirals of hate and war.