Bloomburg Democrat - ARCHIVES

Huh?

Ad from September 23, 2006 Atlanta Citizens Journal

Free To Loving Home
Mail Man Coon Cat, 9 years old,
neutered & front paws declawed.
Call (903) xxx-xxxx

cd-editor (but not of the Citizens Journal)

Dad Gum

Over the last thirty-five years, the rise in wages and salaries in the middle income group was 11%. The rise in wages and salaries in the top 1% income was 617%.
Low income individuals wages actually was a negative figure.
(Study from Northwestern University)
Is this the compassionate conservatism spoken of by President Bush?
cd-editor

Interesting Quote

They have been growing heroin in Afghanistan for centuries.

Vice-President Dick (not a clue) Cheney on Meet The Press, 10 Sep 2006

Insider Information

Seymour M. Hersh writing in the August 21 edition of the The New Yorker expounds on the close relationship between the Bush Administration and Israel's decision to bomb and send troops into Lebanon.
Hersh must have an insider in the Bush Administration feeding him classified information.
Prior to Hezbollah's attack on Israel, Israeli intelligence had broken the code used by Syria and it's minions - Hezbollah and Hamas.
They were prepared to respond long before Hamas and Hezbollah initiated the current conflict.
The Bush Administration was happy to support the destruction of Hazbollah and felt that it would be a precursor to the U.S. attack on Iran.
The fly in the soup was the failure of Israel in the destruction of Hazbollah.
This failure caused Bush to blink.
Maybe the air force generals are overly optimistic in their ability to defeat Iran with a bombing campaign. Iran is not Serbia.
Even Rumsfeld doubts that the U.S. has enought foot soldiers to be successful in a ground war in Iran.
So much for democracy in the Middle East.

cd-editor

How President Bush Gets New Ideas

He has a brain fart!
Thanks to General Anthony Zinni for this bit of information.
cd-editor

I Hope That You Had On Your Hipboots

Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki spoke to a joint session of congress this morning and the BS ran better than knee deep.
He did say one thing with which I agreed.
He insisted that Iraq was not sliding into civil war.
We all know that it has fallen off a cliff into this civil war.
Well time will prove this just another effort to sell the U.S. public a gold mine and all we will get is the shaft.
cd-editor

State Department Has A Long Row To Hoe

Not only does the U.S. State Department have a long row to hoe, they have the wrong hoe. The whole world knows that Copndoleezza Rice is Bush's hoe and that puts her in an impossible position.
I have no doubt about her capabilities; its just that she is the wrong sex to be Secretary of State in today's world.
We live in a world where the major problems are caused by countries with cultures that makes women inferior citizens.
Secretary Rice cannot deal with these male bigots because they think that she is just an uppity female and a black one at that.
We need a strong representative to go to the Mideast and confer with not only Israel and Lebanon, but also Syria and Iran. Rice will not and cannot be successful in the endeavor.
cd-editor

What A Dork

Bush used his first veto to prevent new stem cell research.
But don't worry about it because he also cut funding to mad cow surveillance, so you won't know that the country is going to hell in a hand basket.
cd-editor

Center Of The Universe

Have you noticed that New York is the center of the universe?
This morning on CNN, large segments of the program were about the heat wave hitting the East Coast.
I guess a bunch of yuppies walking around in 78 degree temperatures with a bottle of water is more important than anything going on in the universe this morning.
So you folks in NY be sure and take a bottle of water with you because they said that by the time you realize that you are dehydrated it is almost too late.
No wonder there is no one alive in the Southwest.
cd-editor

What A Good Idea

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_3947236

I wish I could have thought of this first.
We need to start a national petition to this effect.
cd-editor

This Information Should Scare Investors

In a memo published in the Federal Register on May 12, 2006, President Bush signed the following statement: " I hereby assign to you(John D. Negroponte) the function of the President under section 13(b)(3)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended." This also includes the amendment in 1977 of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The amended version states that "with respect to matters concerning the national security of the United States", the President my exempt companies from certain critical legal obligations. These include keeping accurate "books, records, and accounts" and maintaining "a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to ensure the propriety of transactions and the preparation of financial statements in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles."
(Business Week June 5 , 2006 by Dawn Kopecki)

If this doesn't scare you non-coprous, you are not paying attention.
If no one is keeping books, where does all this black money end up? In someone's back pocket or the coffers of the National Republican Party?
The ability of this administration to ignore rules is unprecedented.
It also means that AT&T has redefined call forwarding.
cd-editor

Wire Tapping The White House

The super secret BSA has been tapping into the white house taping system.
The following is a copy of a conversation between two unknown persons in the oval office last week.
"You little fat chubby cheek runt, what do you want?"
"Well Mr. Potus, Uhh Marshall Dillon, cuse that first slip of the tongue, I just want to suggest that you stop all this small talk about Iraq, the economy and other such frivolous subjects and get back on the important stuff."
"What important stuff is that Karl, uhh Chester?"
"You know, the things that the 'Praise the Sandel Guy Crowd' pay attention to."
" I forget what they pay attention to - are you suggesting I go to the Talladaga 500?"
"No dumm..ahh Dubya, I was speaking about you putting forth the idea of a constitutional amendment to stop those perverts from getting legally married.
The 'I Know' crowd will forget all about all the money you are spending and all our dead boys in the deserts."
" Can I throw in a No Burning the Flag amendment, too?"
"Well, Hell yes, stup.. ahh super."
"Now Chester, you are not gonna get into more trouble like you did with your good buddy Little Scooter, are you?"
"This has nothing to do with 'Little Dick', so don't worry your bush about it."
"Will this get my ratings up?"
"Of course, every preacher worth his tithing pay will preach this next Sunday how you are called by God to save this nation."
"Amen, you little round cow patty, Haw, Haw!"

A Country Gone To Hell

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_3880728

Is Iraq worse than Vietnam? Yes
Not as many American's have died, but this country has no future.
At least the nationalism in Vietnam healed the country after the "re-education" of the people, but Iraq has no such hope. The different ethnic groups cannot be "re-educated". Death is the only road to peace in this country.
Shame on Bush and Co..
Shame on the citizens of the United States that voted this man into office.
Shame on congress for allowing this to continue.
Shame on the Constitution that masquerades as a civil law.
Shame on God and his followers for turning a blind eye.
cd-editor

President Artful Speaker

If this sounds like a joke, think again.
The White House Press Secretary described President Bush as an artful speaker.
The event that triggered this response was in relationship to the naming of Henry Paulson as the new Sec. of the Treasury.
On the 25 of May the President when asked by a reporter if John Snow was going to resign as Sec. of the Treasury, he replied that Snow had not mentioned resigning and that he was doing a good job.
The only problem with that artful statement is that on the 20th of May Snow had submitted his resignation and on the 21 of May Bush had offered the position to Paulson.
This is a good Press Secretary for Bush. He makes a lie sound like an asset.
This President will tell a lie when the truth would be a better served.
This is a character flaw that has dogged this president for two terms and I suspect all his life.
cd-editor

Good Question - Bad Answer

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/19/AR2006051901557.html

Are we a nation of moral people or a 21st century version of the Third Reich?
cd-editor

U.S. Foreign Policy In A Nutshell

U.S. foreign policy in a nut-case, ah, nutshell is based on truth. Maybe I should have put this under the category of religion.
Look at the following quote by our esteemed leader George W. Bush - " I base a lot of my foreign policy decisions on some things that I think are true. One, I believe there's an Almighty. And, secondly, I believe one of the great gifts of the Almighty is the desire in everybody's soul, regardless of what you look like or where you live, to be free."
Let's face the facts, how does this guy know what the Almighty thinks; he's not even a member of the true church.
What is the Almighty's definition of freedom? Free sex and nickle beer.
Hey, maybe Bush is right. You know, he was elected by that august body that has Moses and the ten commandments over the door.
Almighty Bless America and take this president home to the telestial kingdom where regardless of what you look like, everyone is free.
cd-editor

What Could Be Worse Than Iraq?

It would seem nearly impossible to find a problem facing the United States worse than Iraq.
We need look no farther than our Latin neighbors to the South.
The Bush Administration has alienated nearly every friend that we have in this hemisphere.
Countries are not destroyed by foreign enemies; they are defeated by the loss of allies on their borders.
One would be hard put to find a true friend in this hemisphere with the exception of Canada.
The governments of Bolivia, Venezuela and Cuba are openly hostile. Brazil, Argentina, and Peru are just tolerant.
How can it be that our first Spanish speaking President could have made so many enemies South of our border?
Our neighbors to the South are not so easily fooled as are the American voters.
George Bush is on an ego trip and could care less about anyone other than himself. Compassion are just two words in his vocabulary.
If the United States truly cared about the people of this hemisphere; cared enough to invest in growth for the greater good, the Americas would become an economic juggernut greater than any in history.
Natural resource rich beyond imagination, people that believe in the work ethic, and a nearly endless supply of vacant land.
Maybe there is still time to salvage the hope of all Americans, both North and South. Let's hope three years is not too long to wait.
cd-editor

Killing Off The State Department One At A Time

Have I not stated in this blurb previously that Donald Rumsfeld is an idiot.
Have not his actions over the last six years removed all doubt?
If not listen to this.
The U.S. Ambassador ot Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad wants to put small reconstruction teams (PRT's) in provincial capitals in Iraq. This in itself is probably a bad idea. The concept was not very effective in Afghanistan where Khalilzad was the former ambassador and the PRT teams were given security by U.S. and Nato military forces.
Somehow the concept of "no safe areas" in Iraq has escaped the Secretary of Defense. He is objecting to the idea of U.S. military forces providing security for the proposed PRT's. Rumsfeld insists that private contractors be hired by the State Department. There is no way he will use Defense Department funds to protect State Department people.
If you think private contractors can protect these Americans as well as the U.S. military, you need to write on the blackboard 100 times "firepower".

Vote these people out of office. It is an American solution, that is, if America can see beyond the "Rapture".

cd-editor

Famous Last Words

"Listen, I know of nobody -- I don't know of anybody in my administration who leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION." George W. Bush

Dubya reminds me of a fellow that will tell a lie, when the truth is a better response. Of course, once the president says something in public, it is no longer classified.
I truly think the tide has turned.
This president is in a world of trouble and there is no way he will be able to crawfish.
Nearly every newspaper in the country are critical of his actions, responses and policies.
I just hope that the average American voter will wake up and throw the bums out. I am including the Democrats in this wish. We need a third party in this country.
cd-editor

It's Time To Encase Bush In A Condom

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_3692417

The last statement in this article hits the nail on the head.
Bush's aid requirements on abstinence are un-Christian.
It is time to reject religious bigotry.
cd-editor

Are There Jobs Americans Won't Do?

It does appear that there are jobs American won't do for a reasonable wage.
Many Americans on welfare will not do farming jobs, custodial jobs and some forms of construction work ( insulation workers, roofers, drywall installers).
These jobs are paying on the average of $8+/ hr., yet most unemployed Americans are not interested.
Farm work has been especially vilified as beneath an American's dignity.
I personally have tried to hire workers to do farm work for $10/hr. with no legal takers. I can hire truck loads of illegal hispanic workers for that pay.
I am not sure what this says about the future of America, but it does cause me some concern.
cd-editor

Dumbing Down Of America

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2006/03/08/BL2006030801844.html

This editorial from the Washington Post should cause you to worry about this country, your children and the collected American sanity.
The fact that Bush doesn't read should have been the alert that we didn't want this man to be President of the United States.
For the last 5 years he has only listened to God (aka Dick Cheney); we all now understand that Dick can shoot without worrying about what his wad may hit.
God Bless America by having a heart attack.
cd-editor

Quotes For 1 March 2006

These two quotes are so inter-related that I will include them both under the same heading - Arrogant Incompetence

The Harvard faculty prayer, it is said goes like this: "Dear Lord, deliver us from the heinous sin of intellectual arrogance; which for your information, means....."

Warren Bennis - former professor at Harvard

"We are fully prepared".

President Bush's statement on being warned the day before Katrina's land-fall that in all likelihood Katrina would cause catastrophic damage to the Gulf Coast, breach the levees and flood New Orleans.

cd-editor

Friends & Countrymen

You owe America, your founding ancestors, and your children the effort to read Lewis H. Lapham's essay in the March 2006 issue of Harper's Magazine.
The Case for Impeachment is a cornucopia of facts so inclusve that even the most die-hard Bushophile will have to admit there is a problem with this administration.
The message, that is so evident because it is stated by so many former insiders, Colin Powell, Paul O"Neill, Douglas Feith, Richard A. Clarke, Hans Blix, Joseph Wilson, The Downing Street Minutes, Greg Thielmann, Lewis Libby, George Tenet and every high level CIA officer and many Republican Senators, this administration has gone astray.
To quote Lapham:
"It is the business of the Congress to prevent the President from doing more damage than he's already done to the people, interest, health, well-being, safety, good name, and reputation of the United States - to cauterize the wound and stem the flows of money, stupidty, and blood."
cd-editor

Shocked Again!

I had decided that nothing this administration did would shock me. I have seen so much mis-management by Bush & Co. that I thought I had become immune to anything they could do.
I guess I need to re-evaluate my shock threshold.

www.sltrib.com/nationworld/ci_3507060

I am speechless and you know that is a rare occurence.
cd-editor

Bush Democracy

I am trying to get a handle on the definition of Bush democracy.
I have come to the conclusion it is not the dictionary version.
The decision of the voting public is not enough to satisfy Dubya's form of democracy. Somewhere, lobbyists, money, lies and hubris have to be included in his definition.
Rumsfeld yesterday liken the election of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to that of Adolf Hitler. He, in the same breath, denounced the election of Evo Morales of Bolivia.
I hate to think about it, but the election of Bush & Co., with their phony war, torture of prisoners, propaganda, secret prisons and bullying elected officials is more on the order of Adolf Hitler than Abraham Lincoln.
cd-editor

What You Won't Hear Tonight

What you won't hear tonight is President Bush saying " I have made a shambles of U.S. foreign policy".
Most of the world hates us, they all want our dollars and nearly all international leaders think George Bush is an intellectual midget.
We all recognize the mistakes we have made in Iraq, Afghanistan and China.
What you may have missed that is the most important event concerning the U.S. in the long term is our relationship to countries in our own hemisphere.
During the Bush Administration Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela and Bolivia have entered the leftist sphere.
Why this has happened has a lot to do with the failure of the State Department to treat our neighbors as equals, or actually even recognize that we have neighbors. The State Department has become a wing of the Department of Defense. We now force rather than discuss.
The Rumsfeld-Bush doctrine is we win you lose.
Guess how well that goes over with our Latin neighbors.
Speaking Spanish will not convince the down-trodden that you care.
cd-editor

Land Of No Opportunity

There are many dangerous places to live in this world - Iraq, Afghanistan, Danfur; but closer to home there is no place in the world like Haiti.

With a population of a little over 8 million of which 6.5 million live in abject poverty, the chance of a good life is nil.
There are 699 people per sq. mi. and they live on the 28.3 % of the land that is arable. Two-thirds of the people have no employment and no future of being employed. Infant mortality is 73.45/ 1000 live births. The literacy rate is 52.9%.
HIV/Aids infects 5.6% of the population in 2002 and the rate is suspected to be double that at this time.

The total country has been deforested.
See USDA Hurricane Georges Recovery Program - Haiti for pictures of the countryside.
Total trees planted in 2001 was 103,758 and grasslands reseeded was 74 hectares. The budget for reclaiming the countryside was $171,172 US dollars.
At this rate the country should have enough natural resources for human habitation in 1000 years. That is if you remove all the people that are still cutting down the newly planted trees.

The only solution I see for Haiti is to depopulate the country for at least 100 years and hope that a volcanic eruption will replace the eroded topsoil.

cd-editor

Why Hamas?

Why would the Palestinians give overwhelming support to a radical political party like Hamas?
No other choice that the masses see as defending their rights.
Fatah has been a corrupt failure in ameloriating the intense poverty of the Palestinian people.
The average Arab man on the street has been in a battle of survival for the last 50+ years and the corrupt ruling Fatah party was a part of the problem and not a part of the solution. With the death of Arafat, the people lost any reason to support a party that has never been able to aid them in overcoming the pitiful living conditions of the average Arab citizen under Israeli control.
The Israeli's have brought this upon themselves. If they had even made a small effort to help the Arab citizens in their country, they would not now be facing civil war.
You cannot starve people into submission in any kind of civilized society. If the Israeli government had followed the example of Moses and killed every man , woman, child and Arab goat, they might live in peace. People that have suffered genocide do not have the stomach for the Moses solution; therefore they must be willing to accept their Arab neighbors as equals and seek ways to lift up both Jew and Arab.
I believe that it is not too late. There are good people in the Fatah Party that do not want to sacrifice everything for total victory and a pan-Arab Palestine.
It is only when you have nothing, that you are willing to sacrifice everything.
cd-editor

President Bush At Kansas State University

I just sat and watched President Bush for two hours as he spoke to students and guests at Kansas State University.
During the opening of his talk he was bantering with the students and I thought he came across as very likeable.
The canned speech that followed made me wonder if he was of sound mind. Such statements as: "terrorists have no heart or conscience" seemed to reflect a sense of making demons of our enemy without regard for fact. His rationality of domestic spying as guaranteed by the constitution was a lesson in rewriting history.
Then during the question and answer period I was surprised that I agreed with him probably 80% of the time.
Could it be that he might be a decent president if he thought for himself?
cd-editor

If You Want To Be Blasphemous

If you want to be blasphemous, watch The Book of Daniel on NBC at 8pm this evening.
I can't wait.
No less an authority than James ,Burn'em At The Stake, Dobson has said that this show is blasphemous because the writers of the new show portray Jesus as being tolerant of sin.
Dobson had better hope that Jesus is tolerant of sin or he will be toast in the near future.
I am sure his buddy of the idiot cloth, Pat Robinson, will have some brilliant remark of prophecy as soon as he comes out of his weekly stupor.
If Dobson had just kept his mouth shut, no one but fundalmentalist Christians would have watched a show about an Episcopalian priest. Now the show will have millions of first time viewers, no matter the quality.
The two forward and progressive cities of Little Rock, sooeee pig, Ar. and Terre Haute, god's a basketball player, In. have cancelled the program. Just more fuel for the ratings. Traffic should be heavy leaving those two cities of scholarship this evening as they travel to neighboring states to view this terrible show made by the anti-Christ.
The American Family Assocaition of that great city of racial justice, Tupelo, Ms. has join in the condemnation.
I wonder if Pat Roberson is searching the scriptures to see what will happen to those that watch this show?
Say Pat, I think it will be Matthew 5:10.
Ha, just depends on how you read it.
cd-editor

The Value Of Education

Listen up young folks.

Lifetime earnings based on level of education

Highschool dropout $976,253
Highschool graduate $1,455,253
Bachelor's degree $2,567,174

It is not a sin to be poor, but I have been both, and rich is better.
Education is worth more than just money. It is also a route to understanding who you are and what are the possibilities.

cd-editor

President Finally Gets Some Things Right

Maybe President Bush has turned the corner.
With a sour expression, he has agreed with Senator McCain the U.S. should not torture prisoners. He has decided to listen to reason instead of Dick Cheney.
He also, this week, admitted that mistakes have been made in Iraq.
News was released today that he approved spying on Americans in the U.S. by the NSA.
My few liberal friends will be upset that I agree with this policy. They have a concern that we will become a police state.
I have no worry about the NSA listening to my phone calls or reading my mail.
As long as the government sticks to arresting those that break the law and not getting involved in the persecution of idealogy, I have no disagreement with any policies that aid in the arrest of the bad guys.
Now my conservative friends are in shock to find out that I am more conservative that them.
So Mr. President, I am happy to be able to support you in your new efforts to stand up and be a man, think for yourself and make America better place for all good law abiding citizens.
cd-editor

3 X Minimum Wage

The figures just released today on the cost of renting an apartment sets the wage need to rent a two bedroom apartment at $15.78/hour.
Say you Republicans, that is three times the minimum wage. If you are making minimum wage that means that you are spending 90% of your income for housing.
Of course, I am sure you can rent something on the "hill" for a little less. So give me your name if you would want to live on the "hill".
I hope there is a day of judgment. Folks that want to always suck the hind tit and keep others sucking the fore tit will have to answer for that decision.
If you are a follower of George Bush, I think he will lead you to hell just as he has done this country.
cd-editor

Worried Yet?

If not you should be.
At this time the Chinese yuan exchange rate is 8+ yuan to the dollar. The average worker in Chinese industry makes 10,000 yuan a year or about 50 cents per hour. This works out to $1000 dollars a year in dollars.
Do you need to ask why 80% of the goods sold in Big Box stores are made in China?
America is not competative. American workers are losing jobs to third world countries at such a rate that we will become a third world country by 2050.
Believe it or not, that is not the major worry!
By 2030 the United Nations predicts that 60% of all Chinese will live in cities.
As these cities continue to grow, the effects on the country's water supply will cause major problems that Chinese leaders must solve. This solution will probably be externally rather than internally. In other words, somebody will have to share.
I am sure you read about the chemical spill a couple of weeks ago that shut down the water supply to a city of over three million Chinese citizens.
National Geographic has predicted that some northern cities in China will simply run out of water in the next 8 to 10 years.
In 2004 China added 50 gigawatts to the electrical grid. In 2005 it will add another 65 gigawatts.
Coal, and high sulfur coal at that, is the main generating fuel for this industrial revolution.
Ten years ago, "Driver" was an occupation in China. Today, China is the #3 market for cars.
This means that oil is becoming more important each day. China is nearly entirely dependent on imported oil. It is easy to understand why the Chinese government tried to buy Unocal.
This increase in energy consumption has caused a environmental sickness that now consumes 8 to 10 % of the country's GDP.
Five of the ten most polluted cities in the world are in China.
Half of the water in China's seven largest rivers is not potable, even after treatment.
The failure to control pollution while sustaining this level of growth is a policy that will lead to ecological suicide; not only for China, but the rest of the world.
China and the United States are now the world's biggest consumers of raw materials, food and energy.
By 2025, China wil become the largest carbon emitter in the world. The United States also bears a large part of the blame. Our consumption fuels their pollution engine. We will still, the average American, be producing three-fourths more carbon pollution than the average Chinese citizen.
What does all this mean and why should we worry?
The carbon cycle is based on tens or hundreds of thousands of years. 80% of all carbon in the atmosphere has been released in the last 200 years and at a increasing rate.
In all likely-hood, we may be past the point of no return, for civilization as we know it.
Even if we cut hydrocarbon use to zero this year, it would take 5000 years or more for the CO2 levels to return to pre-industrial levels.
No matter what actions we take in the next 50 years, both polar ice caps will decrease by 50% or more and this is probably a conservative estimate.
Our policy of live today and don't worry about tomorrow will destroy our way of life.
Going to war over oil is not only short-sighted, it is redundant. History tends to indicate this redundancy will become worse instead of better.
China and the United States are on a collision course - air, water, food and energy are the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
cd-editor

Can't See The Forest Because Of The Trees

Joseph Lieberman, Democratic Senator, has just returned from his fourth visit to Iraq in the last 14 months.
He has made the assessment that things are getting better in Iraq because nearly every house now has a satellite dish.
If he had checked closely he could have also found out that every house has a AK-47 and rocket propelled grenade launcher.
He also said that we have driven the terrorists out of Afghanistan and we do not want to give them a haven in Iraq.
I suspect that he did not drive on the road from Kabul to Kandahar or he might have a different opinion about how many terrrorists are in Afghanistan.
Of course, I prefer to call these folks freedom fighters. I can still remember all those damn Yankees in occupation here in the South after the war for independence.
Right and wrong is in the eye of the beholder.
cd-editor

Dick Cheney - Inquisitor

Is there anyone in the reach of this blog that believes that we have the right to torture or inflict inhumane treatment on prisoners to gather information?
Our Vice-President (I assume with the approval of our President) seems to think so.
I understand why someone would want to torture someone to get information; I just can't understand how a civilized person could convince themselves that it is morally right.
This action seems to prove that the Republican leadership is not Christian. They seem to be 17th century Catholic. Is this the definition of Conservative?
I guess the next thing we will hear out of Washington is that they will start burning people at the stake.
Sadly I have to report that I have not heard any objections from religious leaders. How is that possible? Oh, I remember, burning witches, heretics and sinners is conservative Christian doctrine. I guess it is time to turn the Danites lose on the un-Godly.
God forgive me; I knew not what I was doing.
cd-editor

Selling Ice Trays To The Army

How can I become a prime vendor and sell 85 cent ice trays for $20.
I know that this crap has been going on in other administrations, but Dubya promised us that he was going to stop this rip-off of the American taxpayer.
The Dallas Morning News , Sunday Edition - also found that $29 coffee makers were sold to the Department of Defense for $81 apiece.
So if I can get the readers of the Bloomburg Democrat to send me a few dollars each, I will start a prime vendor company by donating the money to the Bush Presidential Library and also a few dollars to Baylor University to grease the wheel.
It shouldn't take much money to build this library since all of Bush's papers are either classified or shredded after the Plame fiasco.
cd-editor

The President Said

In a press conference with the president of Poland today, President Bush said,
"I want Syria to stop the shipment of suiciders and killers into Iraq".
Is this a coherent statement? Are we talking about pork bellies and tricycles here? Is he truly asking if Syria is shippings in suiciders? Is it possible to Fed-Ex in suiciders and killers?
What is going on in Washington, Animal Farm?
cd-editor

Wise Use Of Money?

I read in this morning's edition of the Houston Chronicle that FEMA has contracted with Carnival Cruise Lines to house the homeless in New Orleans and Galveston on cruise ships at a rental rate of $120,000 per person for six months.
That averages out to $666 per day. They should be able to go to the Caribbean for that amount and enjoy the trip.
The average house in New Orleans cost $87,300 and I suspect Jim Walters could put a house there for a lot less and in a lot less time than six months.
I am not sure this is a wise use of our tax money to subsidize Carnival Cruise Lines just because they have empty ships with no one taking cruises out of New Orleans.
I wonder just how much kick-back some politician is making on this deal?
cd-editor

Nearly At A Loss For Words

I am nearly at a loss for words to describe the action taken by the U.S. Congress yesterday.
However a few come to mind - traitors, back stabbers, cowards, fair weather friends, idiots, morons....... I had better stop before I get to the unprintable. This august body voted against a proposal to provide $350 million in additional funds to up-armor trucks and Humvees in service in Iraq.
A front page article in the Salt Lake Tribune yesterday describes how a transportation company from Utah was trying to bolt sheets of metal on the outside of their trucks for protection. They call this adding Hill-Billy armor.
In my opinion, every member of congress that voted against this proposal should be drafted and sent to drive those trucks.
cd-editor

The 4% Disaster

Last week a study conducted by the National Commission on Energy Policy determined that any event that would take as little as 4% off the global oil market could cause the price of crude oil to go above $161 a barrel.

Friends that figure would mean a cost of more than $7.70 a gallon for gasoline.
This shock would probably cause a worldwide depression.
If you are not prepared to weather this possibility, I suggest you start making preparations today.

Now all I need is for someone to tell me how to get prepared.
cd-editor

Judge By Revelation

Harriet Miers may make a great Supreme Court judge.
Who knows?
Since she has no judicial experience and there is no way to judge how she will stand up under the strain of the work of Solomon, I would like to know what parameters the president used to make the decision for her nomination.
I guess my problem is that I don't trust George Bush to make a correct decision on the subject of whether to use Charmin or White Cloud.
It will be interesting to see what rating the American Bar Association will bestow on her abilities.
cd-editor

Non-Essential Trips

The President wisely ask us today to conserve gas by not making non-essential trips.
He also stated that he would fly to Texas tomorrow on Air Force One to check on the folks on the Gulf Coast.
Good Decision!
The four engine 747 is a wise choice of travel for one egotistical man from Washington D.C. to Houston, Texas.
Does anyone know how much jet fuel that plane burns per hour?
I think he should fly Delta economy class and set the proper example.
Delta also needs the business.
cd-editor

Engineer Bush

The President has said that we must rebuild New Orleans bigger and better. Is this not just a knee-jerk assessment on his part?
Is this truly a piece of Americana that we need to preserve, no matter what the cost and no matter how long it will last?
Our own government agency, NOAA had said that the Gulf of Mexico will be
2 1/2 higher by 2050. With the continued global warming and the rising sea levels this past month's events will be repeated at more frequent intervals.
There is pretty good evidence that this new, bigger and better New Orleans, will be destroyed before we even get it paid for.
The continued destruction of the barrier islands, marshlands, and coastal ecology will just precipitate more of the same - flooding. contamination, death and debt.
I suggest that a scientific panel be formed of the best minds in the enviromental sciences, engineering, and economics and let them make an educated decision on what to do about New Orleans.
If we allow the mayor, governor and president to make this decision, I suspect the Gulf of Mexico will become another Dead Sea.
They remind me more of the Three Stooges than the Holy Trinity.
cd-editor

This Burns Bush's Grits

Chavez has opened a wound that will be hard to close.

www.sltrib.com/opinion/cl_3044468

It is hard to fault a man that takes care of the poor and defenseless.
I understand that his politics are "UnAmerican", but most caring people think that the "American Way" needs some compassion.
It is easy to make George W. Bush look bad. In fact, it takes no effort on Chavez's part because Dubya has the ability to do a good job of that by himself.
Chavez gives us all some hope that leaders can do the right thing.
cd-editor

Why Don't We Understand What's Important?

Singapore and Katrina - New York Times

It appears that Singapore has a better government than the United States of America.
We are being divided by the Bush Administration into a nation that has not seen the likes since Lincoln's election in 1860.
At least Lincoln had a reason for the division; Bush can only plead ignorance for his inability to be the President to all Americans and not just the fat cats.
cd-editor

Here Comes The Judge

John Roberts looked like a man among children at his senate confirmation hearing yesterday.
His command of the law and facts of past ruling was impressive.
I was surprised how easily he made Ted Kennedy and Diane Feinstein look like neophytes.
He was cordial and friendly but left no doubt in anyone's mind who was in control.
If I was a senator questioning him today, I would just welcome him to the Supreme Court and hope that he also has wisdom.
cd-editor

Bombing Practice

I read today that the U.S. Marine Corp bombed two bridges that are near the Iraq - Syria border.
I guess the pilots needed bombing practice.
Why in the world would we send two jets with very expensive bombs to destroy bridges when we have 130,000 soldiers in the country.
Could it be because we don't truly occupy this country?
Could it be because there are not enough troops to prevent terrorist from entering the country from Syria and we don't have two extra companies of Marines to guard those bridges?
I would have thought that one Marine with a couple hundred dollars of TNT could have done a better job destroying those bridges that two 100,000 dollar laser guided bombs.
Is it posible that our government is not telling us the truth about the control they have in Iraq?
Does any of this make you wonder what is truly going on?
Me too!
cd-editor

Race Or Economics

Was it race or economics that stranded so many in New Orleans?
In my humble opinion(IMHO) it was economics.
35% of the blacks that live in NO do not own a car. That number comes to about 180,000 souls.
15% of the whites that live in NO do not own a car. That comes to about 60,000 souls.
Not having accurate numbers at this time, I think some of the 60,000 whites without cars still were able to evacuate, but not many of the blacks had that choice.
That is were race enters the picture.
Most companies are owned by whites and guess who gets the best jobs - whites therefore have more money to evacuate with or without a car.
Also most of the black females do not have a male in the household that feels obligated to move the family to safety.
If you are living on minimum wage or welfare there is no ready cash available to move your family to safety.
I may get into trouble saying this but my experience has been, if you are poor and have no money, don't expect a neighbor , white or black, to help you get out of town. They want cash first for gas and expenses and then maybe you can find someone to drive you to safety.
Poor people are not altruistic because everyone is in the same financial bind and they would have to help the destitute constantly.
Living poor is a case of taking care of yourself and everyone else must do the same.
So my conclusion is that race is secondary to poverty as the reason so many people were not able to evacuate.
Ignorance also plays some part, but again poverty is responsible for most of that ignorance - no newspaper, poor schooling, and not believing the reports of a need to evacuate because they had heard it many times and yet dodged the serious results of past storms.
Everyone thinks that it can't happen to me; but sometimes it does.
cd-editor

Fox News Is A Joke

I forced myself to watch The Bill O'Reilly Show on Friday night to see what his views were on the hurricane.
Fox News is a joke and Bill O'Reilly is an idiot.
Most of the hour was a crazy commentary between Bill and Geraldo telling each other how brave and smart they were.
Geraldo was running around outside the Superdome telling us what grave danger he was in as he was accompanied by three New Orleans police officers. He looked as if he was on meth and he screamed for O'Reilly to send more aid to the evacuees. I quote - "Bill you can get this done, just let those in authority know that we need more help here".
Then the idiot responded - " Don't worry Geraldo, I know they are watching this show and I will get help there as soon as possible".
This is not news, it is a dialogue between two morons, that all the rest of us morons are watching.
If you want the facts spoon fed to you, watch CNN.
If you want the facts in detail read the New York Times.
If you want to understand what has caused all this mess, beyond the winds of Mother Nature, read the editorial section of the New York Times.
Even the conservative David Brooks is jumping ship and telling the facts and not just being an apologists.
cd-editor

Is This Article Fair

A Can't-Do Government - New York Times

Probably so!
There have been plenty of warnings about the levee system in Louisiana. Not just flood control, but also the need to replenish the flood plain and correct the environmental damage of long term neglect.
I think we all know that the term enviromental Republican is an oxymoron.

Heart Of Darkness

The breakdown of civil order in New Orleans is not unexpected.
All that was needed was some event to precipitate the chaos.
The disfunctional Negro family is a time bomb waiting to explode.
If you notice, there are few young black males at the evacuation centers - mainly black women and children and a few old black men.
This problem has been developing for a long time.
In 1950 E. Franklin Frazier of Howard University wrote:
" As a result of family disorganization a large proportion of Negro children and youth have not undergone the socialization which only a family can provide. The disorganized families have failed to provide for their emotional needs and have not provided the discipline and habits which are necessary for personality development."

In the same context, Daniel Patrick Moynihan said at a Harvard symposium in 1965:
"A community that allows a large number of young men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship with male authority, never aquiring any set of rational expectations about the future - that community asks for and gets chaos."

Because the majority of white Americans are indifferent to the plight of the Negro family and governmental social programs applied only a bandaid to their problems we are reaping the results in New Orleans.

AFDC is a program with good intentions, but became a source of money to destroy the Negro family. It removed the male role model and substituted the dominate black female as head of the family.
The result is that young black males have no male guides and resent female domination.
SSI could have been a solution but it was never funded at proper levels and thereby put more families in poverty.
If you notice, there are no middleclass people in the shelters, only the poor and the infirmed that had no means to escape the cataclysm.
Most do not have cars or if they do they didn't have the $40 for a tank of gas to fill their car.
The social, energy and environmental policies, of the government, have come home to roost.
cd-editor

Good Editorial

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

Take the time to read this editorial.
This is the aspect of democracy that is the envy of the world.
cd-editor

If Necessary Bend The Rule

HoustonChronicle.com - Texan who fought in Iraq denied in-state tuition

With two tours in Iraq this Marine should get to attend any school he desires tuition free.
IMHO

Everyone Knew

Someone Tell the President the War Is Over - New York Times

Everyone with a high school education in history knew this was coming.
Of course a majority of Americans failed to listen. They were too busy trying to follow a leader that promised to lead them to heaven.
Guess what, you are now in hell.
Of course, if this war had not put you in hell, you would have got there on your own, by the bigoted treatment of your fellow citizens.
cd-editor

Body Armor Snafu

U.S. Struggling to Get Soldiers Updated Armor - New York Times

There are so many inaccuracies in this article that I hesitated to provide a link.
I do so because this is a very important problem for our soldiers.
The real problem is that the Department of Defense is trying to fight this war on the cheap.
The procurement system is not writing long term contracts, therefore the companies cannot anticipate or plan of the future. It is not feasible for companies to purchase expensive equipment if the Department of Defense will not write a contract that will guarantee a reasonable payback.
It is true that the ceramic plates have been in short supply, but it is because the two major companies that produce the plates have been undercut my small companies that don't have the ability to test and produce effective plates.
Cheap yes, effective no.
If the Department of Defense would just buy from the established companies they would have all the plates they need.
Another problem is that the Pentagon is not willing to replace the Kevlar vest in a timely manner. Each vest should be replaced every six months if they are exposed to hot weather and human sweat. The replacement is necessary because heat and sweat breakdown the ballistic resistence of the Kevlar fibers.
Facts be known, some of our reserve troops are still wearing Vietnam era vest. This is especially true of some Marine reserve units.
Here again companies like DHB Industries could make plenty of vest if the Pentagon would just make long term contracts.
In the pasted couple of years DHB has more than doubled their capacity, but the Pentagon dribbles out small 10 to 15 million dollar contracts when the need is in the neighborhood of 75 to 100 million dollar contracts to supply the vest that are needed.
Of course the ultra rich need their tax breaks and Dubya does not want to appear to be a spend-thrift when it comes to fighting this war.
Can this behavior of our government be acceptable to those Bush loving conservatives that are so pro-military?
cd-editor

Amphibious Tractor ?

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

I asked my Marine son-in-law why Marines were in an amphibious vehicle in the middle of a desert. He said that was the best the Marine Corp had to offer.
Any idjit would know that anything that floats could be blown sky high.
Marines have to be gung-ho to be willing to ride in such an inadequate fighting machine. I would probably desert in the desert.
I am so tired of complaining about this administration not providing our troops with the proper equipment to fight this war. But, I am sure they are tired of dying in their mobile coffins.
No wonder Cindy Sheehan is camped out on Bush's driveway. She thinks her son was sacrificed on a whim of the chicken-sh-- that leads this country.
I don't think Bush had the right to say, "Bring them on". He just flew around Texas during the Vietnam War. He didn't even show up most of the time for his reserve meetings and he is following that same course as president.
cd-editor

The Making Of A Few More Terrorists

Afghanistan Full Coverage on Yahoo! News

These folks hold a grudge and they will not forget that the U.S. killed some of their family members.
I know that many of you don't want to hear this, but this a form of terrorism. We may call it collateral damage but to those that lost love ones it is murder of innocent civilians and that is even our definition of terrorism.
It's time to go home and slam the door. I hate to consider myself an isolationist, but I see no other solution.
Maybe if we stay home awhile and wait for an invitation to share our technology, we can start afresh with a new relationship to the peoples of the world.
cd-editor

A Mistake

Va. Tech Separation of Sexes Irks Faculty - Yahoo! News

Virginia Tech is making a big mistake in allowing the Saudi's to set the standard of university education in America.
It is their right on how to set up classes in Saudi Arabia, but not in America.
I vote to tell them to take their money and oil and stick it in their ear.
cd-editor

Misdirection

HoustonChronicle.com - Poor in Texas to see higher power bills

I hope there is a hell.
There needs to be a place for politicians that grind the face of the poor in the dirt.
Not only are they misdirecting the funds, they are then lying about where the money is going.
Is this behavior a constant with Republicans?
To quote Gomer Pyle, "For shame, for shame!
Seventeen dollars more a month is not much money unless you don't have it and I personally know families that don't have an extra seventeen dollars.
I guess they can give up milk for their kids or Grandpa can stop taking his blood pressure medicine so that the family can have lights.
cd-editor

Novak Belongs In Prison

Novak Defends Reporting on C.I.A. Operative - New York Times

In my opinion Mr. Novak has no integrity and should be in prison.
His arrogance is beyond the pale.
This is were First Amendment rights should be surrendered for the good of the country. Mr. Novak was only thinking about Mr. Novak and that is reason enough for him to pay for that self-serving behavior.
cd-editor

Democracy In Afghanistan

Afghan Elections Face Funding Shortfall - Yahoo! News

If you believe that these elections in Afghanistan will make this country a democracy, you probably have teeth under your pillow.
Mr. Webster says that a democracy is government by the people - Afghanistan will be government by the barbarian.
cd-editor

This Is Not Democracy

HoustonChronicle.com - Female candidates face threats in Afghanistan

Try as they may; the Bush Administration cannot sell the idea of democracy in Afghanistan.
The cultural divide is too great.
The reason this country has never had free elections at anytime in it's history is because the Islamic culture runs too deep in the psyche.
The old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink", describes this situation in Afghanistan.
During the 2000 presidential elections, Candidate Bush said that he would never be guilty of nation building. It looks as if no matter how hard he tries to break that promise, he was telling the truth.
cd-editor

Texas School Funding

HoustonChronicle.com - School finance headed for another fall

It is time for the parents of school children to foot some of the expenses of educating their children.
Historically taxing property was fair and spread the burden evenly, but today that burden falls mainly on those that do not have children in school.
Texas has been lax in maintaining a good school system. The appraisial district concept of school funding is flawed because the taxing entity is the employer of the appraiser.
Appraisals are dependent on the needs of the school district and not the fair market value of the property.
This causes the property owners to feel abused and therefore the funding for the schools ends up below what is needed.
Oil and gas has funded the schools since year one. That is no longer possible because Texas has peaked long ago in production levels.
It is time to tax parents on the number of children they have in school. That is fair and will also help place the responsibility where it belongs.
cd-editor

Rigging The Election

In this week's The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh has an article about the United States trying to rig the Iraqi election.
Like everything else we have tried to do in Iraq, it was not successful.
The Shiites still won a majority of the votes and the country is on the verge of a civil war, if not already there.
I understand the reasoning for trying to fix this election. We want someone in control that will be friendly to U.S. interest. If you are spending a couple billion dollars a week, you would hope that you get the results you desire.
It is a little disturbing that the U.S. State Department was up to it's arm pits in rigging this election. CIA, Department of Defense, I would understand and not be too shocked; but Thomas Warrick, a senior advisor on Iraq for the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, had a slush fund of forty million dollars to help parties the Bush Administration favored.
To his credit, President Bush turned down the State Department's plan.
To his discredit, he used off the books money and agents to try an throw the election to Allawi, an American stooge.
Does it seem a bit disingenuous for the President to stand before the American public and claim he was glad to have a fair and honest election in Iraq?
When he speaks of democracy in Iraq and honest elections, he must be thinking of the 2000 presidential election in the United States.
I personally just wish that the President would keep his mouth shut.
At least that would not show the world what a jerk we have for a president.
I guess that I am naive. When we strive to set an example of democracy, I would hope that ethics are part of the plan.
I guess that is just wishful thinking.
I live in a little town of 350 folks that tend to make their word their bond.
cd-editor

Makes Sense To Me

Salt Lake Tribune - Utah

Moving the Armed Forces Language Institute from Monterey, CA to Prove, UT makes sense to me.
I bet there is no place on this earth that has the language capabilities of Provo, UT.
The polyglot returning missionaries that attend BYU would allow the Institute to utilize a unique source of not only foreign language speakers, but also a group that has an understanding of the culture of those foreign countries.
Even though land is expensive in Provo, I am sure the LDS Church would make it possible for the institute to relocate there at a reasonable cost.

First Of Many

Iraq to World: Keep Diplomats in Baghdad - Yahoo! News

Egypt is just the first of many countries that will withdraw their diplomats from Iraq.
Why support a failing government of a trumped up country?
The ability of the Iraqi government to protect foreign diplomats is nil.
Who in their right mind would want to serve in a post that puts their life on the line for a transit government?
cd-editor

Interesting Look At Judith Miller

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

This is another side to the Judith Miller story.
cd-editor

The Reason I Read The NYT

Judith Miller Goes to Jail - New York Times

The NYT is the premier source of information in this nation.
You can read what is printed in it's pages with the surety that it is the best news available to the American public.
Don't even try to compare this paper to any other news organization.
There is only one paper in the top tier.
Second tier papers are available - Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times and a few others.
Organizations like Fox News should not even be considered in the same obit.
Radical conservatives bad-mouth the NYT because they can't handle the truth.
cd-editor

No One Can Prevent This Cooperation

Iraq, Iraq Look to Military Cooperation - Yahoo! News

He is talking to you George.
This is the results of your democracy in Iraq.
We have turned one dumb enemy into two smart enemies.
Just wait until Iraq builds a nucleur reactor with Iran's help.
cd-editor

What Have We Done?

Shiite Morality Is Taking Hold in Iraq Oil Port - New York Times

Tom asked this question this morning.
He is well aware of what we have done, but the American public is beguiled to believing that all is well in Iraq and the battle is nearly won.
Iran is becoming the controlling entity in Iraq, not the U.S. military.
The Iranians control the Shiite movement in Iraq and will control at least half of the country when this all settles out.
Terrorists are not often defeated. They are accomodated and then they retreat into the background. Look at the history of Israel.
President Bush is like the dog that chases a car. Once he catches it, what does he do with it?
cd-editor

Mr. Novak Is The Key

New York Times Reporter Is Jailed for Keeping Source Secret - New York Times

If Mr. Novak has already revealed this information to the grand jury then I would think what the other reporters do is a moot point.
Mr. Novak is the real villian in this case. He either broke a covenant with a source or he has lied to the grand jury and the public. In either case lets put the arrogant guy in jail.
I think that reporters are responsible to the public, government and individuals they injure, with information that should be withheld. Especially in cases of national security.
I am sure many reporters come across information that would make great stories, but would cause serious injury to the nation.
Good judgment must over rule the reporters desire for a blockbuster story.
Outing of U.S. covert agents must be on the top rung of any protected information.
Mr. Novak is the person responsible for this situation and I think he should pay the price; even if he later gave up his source.
cd-editor

War Critics

Army recruits shortfall blamed on Iraq war critics - Yahoo! News

Senators Inhofe and Roberts need to make sure our troops have armored vehicles rather than worry about some intelligent senator's comments about the problems in Iraq.
What are they suggesting? Lying to the youth of American to try to get them in a situation where they can get killed or maimed for life.
If Senator Inhofe has a son of military age, I am sure he would tell him to sign on the dotted line and take a great summer vacation in beautiful Iraq. Drive around in an unarmored humvee, wearing a Vietnam era flack jacket in 110 degree heat.
These senators should be drafted into the Marine Corp. Oh, I forgot. They only take good men.
I am ashamed that Oklahoma would elect such an idiot and I don't even live there.
cd-editor

Too Few Troops

Fighting Prevents U.S. From Learning Fate of 17 on Copter - New York Times

People in the know have been saying that we have too few troops in Afghanistan to do the job.
I believe that this article verifies that fact.
This helicopter was shot down yesterday and we still have not been able to reach the downed craft to take care of the wounded or recovery the bodies.
Mr. Rumsfeld and President Bush, I hold you both responsible for this injustice to our fighting men by disreguarding their safety.
General Powell tried to warn you both that you should not enter this war without overwhelming force.
You are both so ignorant of history you are a danger to America.
cd-editor

Sounds Like Justice To Me

Proposal Made to Seize Souter's Property - Yahoo! News

Great idea!
cd-editor

President Bush's Iraq Speech

President Bush would make a great preacher.
He believes his own lies.
cd-editor

I Worry More

I Worry More by David Filer

I worry more now that my son is out
On his own, earning a handsome salary
Back east. How big the country is, and how
Many ways to navigate it. He's free
To cross his streets without a father's help -
A father's caution, practice reading the signs.
And though I must admit that he is doing well,
Anything could happen, and he is still mine
To fret over. Finally I understand
My own father's silence. Not uncaring,
As I once thought, it's the brave wordlessness
Of love and wonder, and no little fear:
Two fathers, now watching from their distance,
Two sons who risk the futures they will miss.

A father's no shield for his child -
Seamus Heaney, "Elegy"

I'm A Safer George

Iraq is now a terrorist training ground, CIA says - Yahoo! News

I guess not.
Good move Mr. President. You have opened a can of worms that you can't close.
cd-editor

Sitting On The Sidelines

Human Embryo Cloned From Immature Eggs - Yahoo! News

We are held captive to a religious society very similar to that which burned books in the thirteenth century, because they did not want to hear that the earth was not the center of the universe.
American science will become second rate if this attitude is not corrected.
cd-editor

Hits Close To Home

HoustonChronicle.com - Taliban abduct 13, take control of Afghan district

This activity by the Taliban hits close to home because Tom is at or near this district.
It appears that things in Afghanistan are not as they seem in the national news.
cd-editor

Killer Bees In Bloomburg

Africanized Bees Spotted in SW Arkansas - Yahoo! News

Lisa and Bailey heard a swarm of bees in the blueberry patch this week. They were bound to be killers because they were all wearing black leather jackets.
No deaths in Bloomburg at this time.
The citizens are buying bee shot by the case.
cd-editor

The Pain Of War

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

What evil hath we wrought?
cd-editor

Typical Day In Peaceful Iraq

Five U.S. Marines Killed in Iraq - Yahoo! News

Dick Cheney is in denial.
Insurgency is not winding down.
These folks have been fighting each other for 6000 years and it is not only a life style, it has become a hobby.
Americans that believe in the goodness of mankind are just easy prey for the killers.
Americans cannot comprehend this mindset.
The Israelis have the right idea. Lets build a fence around the place and dare them to come out. I would take the contract to build that fence for the 500 billion we are spending there and I am sure families of the Marines would cover any cost over-runs.
We can directional drill the oil from the gulf, if that is why we are in this mess.

cd-editor

Schiff Is Good

The Interactive Truth - New York Times

I want to make it plain that I have not read the Da Vinci Code and have no plans to read it.
I have had many friends and family act stunned when I said it was fiction, not fact.
The purpose of the Bloomburg Democrat is not to crucify George W. Bush. It is to try to separate fact from fiction.
I realize that my or your opinion is not necessarily fact, but this forum allows anyone to correct misconceptions.
I also realize that history is in the eye of the beholder.
Therefore anything you read here or anyplace else must be put to the review of results and time.
cd-editor

To Dumb To Compete

Financial Aid Rules for College Change, and Families Pay More - New York Times

Another great decision by the Bush Administration.
Cut aid to poor college students while giving tax breaks to rich kids.
I keep trying to find areas where the Bush Administration makes good choices so that this website will look fair and balanced.
That is harder than you would expect.
Just like this effort to balance the budget on the backs of poor college students.
Balancing the budget is a great idea, but not when it makes America dumber.
How are we going to compete in this global economy when we destroy our brain base.
Education is our greatest asset in the world economy.
If our future leaders are deprived of a college education, $5.15 at the local McDonalds will not buy many GM cars; and from what I see in the papers today, we desperately need to sell some GM cars.
Think about it. The rich that are getting the tax breaks are buying BMW's, not Chevrolets.
Is this all due to the fact that a Mendelian recessive occupies the White House?
cd-editor

What Gall

Rumsfeld: China's Military Buildup a Threat

Is this the pot calling the kettle black, or what?
I agree that China should standdown on their efforts to annex Taiwan, but history has shown that the U.S. has been involved in the same antics since it's inception.
Do you think that Rumsfeld forgot how much of his budget was for new weapons, when he made this statement?
If you are not teaching your children to speak Chinese, you are in denial.
cd-editor

Another Bush Success

Facing Chaos, Iraqi Doctors Are Quitting - New York Times

The near destruction of the Iraqi medical system.
When and how will this all end?
cd-editor

Living On The Bubble

Many Buyers Opt for Risky Mortgages

There should be a law against this practice.
The only winner in this game is banks and the only risk taker is the borrower.
Some few borrowers might be lucky, but the same thing can be said about those that play the slot machines.
If congress is not going to protect the public, who will?
cd-editor

Hard Landing

Is this economy in for a hard landing.
Mr. Paul Volcker, former head of the Federal Reserve, is not known for his definitive statements, but he has gone so far as to say that there is a 75% chance that within five years this country will have a dollar crisis and a hard landing.
What does he mean by the term, "hard landing"?
It is a situation where foreign investors lose confidence in the dollar and a hugh spike in interest rates.
This will cause a major problem in the economy because 37% of all mortgages are on a floating rate structure.
To understand what that means to you, look at your mortgage amount, rate, term, and then add 500 points to your rate.
This is scary because it has precedent - the 1980's.
So your $2500 monthly house payment goes to $5000 a month.
That should cause you to blink.
One problem is that we may not have 5 years to get ready for this sticker shock.
President Bush is rushing along on a road not often traveled.
Who in their right mind cuts taxes while spending with both hands? Dubya
Of course, he never had to worry about paying his debts. Daddy always took care of such things; or daddy's friends.
Doesn't this make it easier to understand why George just has to "out do Daddy"?
Hang on America, we are in for quite a ride.

China's Economic Terrorism

C.E.O.'s, M.I.A. - New York Times

Our main concern as a country should not be a few thousand Islamic terrorists, but should be the few billion capitalistic Chinese that are looking for the brass ring.
This Chinese juggernaut is on a course of controlling the the monetary system of the globe.
When you borrow money from a loan shark, you had better bring bandages and we are getting in deeper water every day.
We cannot trust the Chinese to be our banker.
The Bush Administration seems to have no understanding of the danger of borrowing billions from the Chinese.
Of course, what should we expect when the Secretary of the Treasury has a history of fiscal incompetence.
cd-editor

Reason Ruled

HoustonChronicle.com - No school vouchers for Texas

I am not sure how or why it happened but the august men of the Texas Legislature finally made a correct decision, barely.
Vouchers would gut the public school system in Texas and end up being a program for the elite.
Oh yes, I read how it would help the intercity kids and give them a chance to grub their way out of the slums.
The hidden obstacles are transportation, peer pressure, education standards and "not in my neighborhood", that would not be rectified by vouchers.
The vocational programs that are so important to uplift the downtrodden have never been funded in a manner to help those that need the most help. In fact, they have mostly been eliminated by the legislature.
Higher mathematics, physics and chemistry are not the solution for most (by a large percentage)
kids, intercity or not. The select few will overcome obstacles and reach their potential; no matter what mountain they have to climb.
It is us average folks that need a good public education system that will give us a vocation in today's world. Most of us will never be rocket scientists; therefore make us good plumbers that can balance our checkbook.
The failure in the system is that it creates too many failures. If you feel that school is a waste of time because you don't grasp the higher math or science, there is nothing that vouchers will do that will help.
Success breeds success. If you feel that the education you are receiving will help you be successful in life, then you will strive to get that education. This is an evolutionary principle that helps us become successful in life. The female of the species seeks security for her reproductive efforts and nothing in this world today better answers that need than success in the economic world.
If a kid in the intercity has no means for economic success other than crack cocaine, then that will be his vocation for success. Here again, most of these kids will never be physicians, scientists, or engineers, that's the facts.
The solution is to help people where they need help, not where you wished they need help.
Sure, some few geniuses fall through the cracks of life, but that is no reason to condemn the multitudes to purgatory.
cd-editor

Where You Heart Is

The Denton Independent School District has just completed a 20.5 million dollar football stadium.
Ah, the status of higher education in Texas is well and in good hands.
I read about this while drinking my orange juice this morning and nearly gagged to death.
I also understand that they spent $20.50 to buy new books for their science classes that had a disclaimer for evolution. These books had a real cost of $200 but there was a gift donation by the ministerial alliance to cover the excess cost.
There may be some inaccuracies in this article, but the first sentence is correct.
cd-editor

Facts Are Facts

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

Facts or facts, political correct or not.
Jim Cadenhead and I once cleaned out a septic tank for $10 - tell me which of my kids would now do that for nearly any amount of money.
Why does it seem easier to ignore the truth and accept a lie?
Maybe it is because we feel better when we are fooling ouselves into believing that we are altruistic, noble and all knowing. Sounds as if we believe that we are truly Gods in embryo, doesn't it?
cd-editor

Out in Taliban Country

click to enlarge

Tom is in Washer, Afghanistan which is in an area that is still infested with the Taliban ethic. As you see, he seems to live in his "bullet-proof vest" which I guess gives some false sense of security. His real security is in the unseen background, GI's with a .50 cal. mounted on a humvee.

From Afghanistan

No things have been calm here so far. Most of the riots were fomented by university students. We do not have any universities here, and the governor held a council of mullahs to tell them to teach the people not to riot as it only hurts Afghanistan. His remarks were, "it is better to have a dumb friend than a clever enemy", so not to hold it against America. I thought that was a pretty good way of putting it.

Tom
__________________________________
Thomas C. Daniels
Second Secretary
U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan
PRT Lashkar Gah

----- Original Message -----
From: Clifton Daniels
To: tom@areksuroboyo.net
Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 3:42 PM
Subject: Riots

Are there riots in your province?
Dad

Commander And Chief

U.S. Army offers shorter enlistment to recruits - Yahoo! News

Our Commander and Chief will soon be just a chief if something doesn't change the level of enlistment.
There won't be anyone to command.
Of course, who would volunteer to get blown up for no good reason other than to put some Shite in power in Iraq?
cd-editor

Only The Brave Need Apply

Demise of a Hard-Fighting Squad

Thanks God for men of this caliber that still make up today's U.S. military.
In today's world, America is only as safe as it is strong. These men are strong.
Our diplomacy leaves much to be desired, because those setting the standard are delusional.
Force seems to be our only option at this time; thank God for the Marine Corp.
cd-editor

Fighten For Our Rats

Nickelodeon slavery claim outrages Alamo keepers - Yahoo! News

We was ah fighten for our rats.
My grandpa didn't own no slaves, but don't you dare tell him, he can't.
cd-editor

Let Them Eat Cake

The New York Times > National > Medicare Change Will Limit Access to Claim Hearing

Tell Grandma if she wants to have a judge review her rejected claim to Medicare, all she has to do is hitch-hike to Dallas, walk the 14 miles from Loop 610 to DFW airport, wait in line to purchase a ticket to Cleveland, thats OHIO, not Texas(couldn't get one before hand because she doesn't make enough to have a credit card), sit in the terminal a few hours and then a few more on the plane, once in Cleveland try to find the office for the hearing and then learn that the judge is on a junket to Cancun with his mistress.
Don't feel sorry for her because she died on the plane from a thrombosis from her varicose veins. I guess that will solve one of Dubya's problems.
cd-editor

I Confess

Salt Lake Tribune - Outdoors

It is great to be able to put my learned opinion out before the world with an unlimited supply of electrons.
Past geniuses had to rely on ink.
cd-editor

Where Is The Kinder Conservatism

HoustonChronicle.com - 30 percent rise in Harris County homelessness

This is a sad commentary on the state of America's compassion. The great divide between the haves and the have not is growing.
The sidebar tells the whole story.
55% have serious mental illness
51% of men over 50 are veterans
73% skipped medications because they couldn't afford it.

The way a nations treats it's poor is a view into it's soul.
The soul of America is being cankered by a pseudo-Christianity that touts me instead of thee.
cd-editor

I Hope It Is True

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Public Hedonism and Private Restraint

Believe it or not this is a second David Brooks column in a row that I have forward for your discussion.
If his facts are true, this change in sexual morals will be a blessing for all families. The loose morals of the sixties to ninties have rent the fabric of American family life.
During that time frame, fidelity was out of vogue and American families suffered.
It may be fact that the conservative right can claim some credit for this change. If that is so, God bless them.
cd-editor

Red-Neck Heaven

The New York Times > Sports > Other Sports > Standing Up After Fearing Standing Out

Does this surprise me, not one bit.
Do the actions of this school board make me happy, not one bit.
Merry Stephens is a good basketball coach, that is a fact. Not much else about this entire situation is a fact.
During the six years that Merry has been coaching in Bloomburg there have been rumors. But you have to realize there is not much going on in Bloomburg to talk about.
To my knowledge there has never been any inappropriate behavior that would bring to question her job performance at Bloomburg High School. I am not an authority on the interworkings or relationships at the school, but I have had three children in school during the time of Merry's tenure. To my knowledge, she is an outstanding member of our community.
It is my understanding that one of her former students has decided to take up a lesbian life-style. It appears that her "conversion rate" does not reflect the fact that she is trying to convert anyone.
What or who is to blame for this mess? Certainly not Merry.
Prejudice is the only word that comes to mind.
As far as I know prejudice is not Christian, yet it is in the name of Christianity the the school board has taken these actions.
God Bless Bloomburg, with tolerance.
cd-editor

I Have Seen The Light

I find it hard to understand how I could have been hood-winked by the ignorant liberals that infect America's newspapers, universities and other learned emporiums.
I have seen the light:
President Bush is a great statesman and on the short list of greatest presidents ever to grace the America's political scene.
Jesse Jackson is a true Christian that thinks only of the welfare of others.
Tom DeLay is a man of personal integrity on the order of Jesus the Christ.
Donald Rumsfeld is the cornerstone of U.S. justice.
The religious right is under the direction of God and therefore cannot lead us astray.
Global warming is a lie used by the intellectual left to discredit the president.
The Amerindians are truly Jews that have fallen from the truth because they transgressed the law of circumcision.
It is morally correct for a religious organization to spend in excess of 1/2 billion dollars on a mall when they have members living in poverty.
Evolution is pseudo-science and is taught in our schools to trick the students; causing doubt that God created the earth 6000 years ago.
Bishop my tithing check is in the mail.
I KNOW all the above is true because it has been revealed to me by God.
cd-editor

Face Reality

Salt Lake Tribune - Home & Family

Police work is hard and not very rewarding. It is easy to get mad at the cop and hard to accept our responsibility to obey the law.
If we break little laws like speeding or jaywalking, we teach our kids to disrespect authority and the results can be painful.
cd-editor

What Are You Teaching My Child

A Community with a Passion for Learning
www.cobb.k12.ga.us

The above titled website is from the Cobb County Independent School District of Marietta, Georgia.
This should be listed on Today's Best Jokes.
It is this school district that has required that the high school biology text books have a sticker that states:

"This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered."

They should also include a sticker that states:

"You are free to answer the test questions anyway you desire and we are free to retain you in high school until you collect Social Security.

Evolution is a fact!
The debate in the scientific community is not whether evolution is a fact but to what degree it has influenced social history.

Adam and Eve is not even a theory.

Webster's Dictionary defines fact as:
Something that has really happened or is actually the case, as distinguished from something merely believed to be so. A truth known by actual observation or authentic testimony.

Webster defines theory as:
A hypothesis not yet empirically verified as law but accepted as the basis of experimentation.

Evolution by definition is a fact, that has some elements of theory.

Adam and Eve are neither. They are faith based.

Each of us has the right to believe as we choose; but we do not have the right to require others to even consider our beliefs.

The purpose of our public schools is to teach fact and theory - not faith.

cd-editor

Childhood Idol

Salt Lake Tribune - Home & Family

Kirby is my childhood idol.
Second childhood that is!
cd-editor
PS: even though I can't edit, I like the sound of the word after my initials.

Rendition Program

HoustonChronicle.com - Terror suspects' transfers confirmed

One key point that proves, to me anyway, that this program is illegal is the fact that we are sending people to Syria.
Syria has been declared a terrorist state by the Bush Administration. How is it that we have a close enough relationship with a terrorists state to send them terrorists to be "interviewed".
In my opinion, President Bush needs to go there for an interview.
cd-editor

National Sales Tax

The New York Times > Breaking News, World News & Multimedia

I personally think that a national sales tax is the fairest and best way to fund governments.
By taxing sales, those that buy the most, pay the most; that equates to the richer you are the more you would pay because rich people spend more than poor people, duh.
To make this tax non-regressive, certain items, necessities of life would be tax free or on a prorated basis.
Example: food, medical care, housing(with a limit) would all be tax free. Everything else would be taxed to the level that is necessary to cover all government expendatures.
I have been advocating this type of tax for years and cannot find any great negatives.
cd-editor

Congratulations To President Bush

The New York Times > International > Middle East > U.S. and France Join to Urge Syria to Pull Out of Lebanon

It appears that the President has scared some folks in the Middle East.
Syria appears to be leaving Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinians seem to be on a road of progress and Iran is receiving pressure from the European community.
If this is the results of the invasion of Iraq, then the President will be able to say, "I told you so".
I would certainly be prepared to eat crow and give him my blessing.
Will all of this come to fruitation? Only time will tell, but I certainly hope so.
This leaves North Korea and if the President can solve that problem he will have his legacy.
I am not jumping on the Bush bandwagon but I am willing to give him some time to accomplish this diplomacy, if you can call war diplomacy.
cd-editor

Is There No Justice

The New York Times > Opinion > Columnist: It's Called Torture

It is time for all Americans to stand up and say to our government that this kind of behavior is wrong and to stop those responsible.
cd-editor

Conservative Blasts Bush

Stealthy Budget Cuts (washingtonpost.com)

This is getting to be fun when the conservatives start calling their president an idiot.
Well maybe he didn't come right out and call Dubya an idiot, but he thought it.
cd-editor

MS. Dowd Must Not Be A Bush Supporter

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: W.'s Stiletto Democracy

I understand that some of this is Maureen Dowd's opinion, but are any of the facts untrue?
cd-editor

Dollar Woes

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Honey, I Shrunk the Dollar

If you are planning on taking a vacation this year, you had better just go visit a neighbor, because that is all you will be able to afford.
The Bushies have put a cherry bomb under the dollar and it is about to explode.
cd

Social Security In Turmoil

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: Some Inheritance

Neither this President nor his advisors have a clue on how to shore-up Social Security.
All Dubya knows is that he doesn't like to share.
Didn't his Momma teach him nothing?
cd-editor

Eminent Domain For Private Use

Yahoo! News - Court to Hear Battle Over Eminent Domain

I personally have problems with taking land by eminent domain for private use.
This can be corrupted so easily by those with money and clout with public officials.

Mr. President On Tape

The New York Times > Washington > In Secretly Taped Conversations, Glimpses of the Future President

This is a historical tape recording of a future president.
I disagree with Mr. Wead secretly taping the future president without his permission, but I also understand that is the only way he would get a candid record.
I personally do not think that this tape is damaging to President Bush. I am sure that he will feel betrayed, but he comes forth as open and honest in his assessment of the political climate of the time.
I feel relieved that "what you see, is what you get" with this president.
Let's sit back and watch the fallout. It should be interesting.
cd-editor

Homer Simpson Lives In The White House

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Bush's Barberini Faun

This is a riot.
If you look like a WASP and speak key words like a Republican you can get in the White House and I guess that includes mass murderers.
Maureen Dowd doesn't know the right words.
cd-editor

US's Failure in the Kyoto Protocol = Environmental Abortion

The Japan Times Online - Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol went active today. Unfortunately we, as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, did not ratify the document. This is basically the equivilent of environmental abortion. We killed the chance to prevent a great deal of pollution before it even had a chance to get going.

What a great land we're leaving for our children.

-freelance reporter stationed in Japan: jd

In The Mouths OF Two Or Three Witnesses

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Importance of Being Earnest

If you do not remember 1929 and the collapse of the U.S. economy, then it is time you go back and read the history of deflation.
The life as we know it is in jeopardy and Mr. Bush is on the road to calamity.
cd-editor

Bush's Red Ink

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

We are not just talking deficit here, we are talking catastrophe.
cd

Gay Marriage in Texas

HoustonChronicle.com - Hundreds of gays, lesbians to marry today

Right or wrong this is not going away, no matter what President Bush or Pope John Paul II says.
Whether I agree or not, I think the gay minister made some good points concerning marriage in general.
Sex is not the purpose of marriage!
That said, then what is the purpose?
To provide stability to civilization. Now the debate must center on the point of order, does same sex unions add to that stabililty?
I guess time will tell because it is surely coming.
cd-editor

What's Driving Miss Molly

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

Bushnnegins

Hard Wisdom

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Calling All Democrats

Friedman is calling the Democrats to task and rightly so.
We need Iraq to be successful - we have too much invested to give up at this point.
Let's just hope that success is possible
cd-editor

A Knife In the Back

The New York Times > Washington > Bush Budget Raises Prescription Prices for Many Veterans

Does this President care more for the rich than he does for the veteran?
I guess he does, when you consider the tax cut for the rich and the tax increase on the wounded.
What is it going to take to wake up Americans to the reality of the true soul of this Administration?
cd-editor

Do We Need More Soldiers?

Rebuilding the Army (washingtonpost.com)

I just watched Donald Runsfeld on Meet the Press this morning say that he never wanted a smaller, leaner army.
You know what this means. The Bush Administration has started another revision of history.
Go back and read all the statements after the successful taking of Baghdad and see how they boasted about this small agile military.
Also read the quote of Rumsfeld that looting was expected and was just part of the process of developing democracy.
Rumsfeld is a smart man and gave a very convincing interview this morning. He was able to state his case and make one think that all his stated errors were taken out of context.
The only problem he had was Tim Russet had him on tape and showed the glaring errors in his revision.
This is all hindsight, so lets just correct the problems. Until the President accepts the responsibility for his mistakes, we will just continue to suffer the consequences.
Lets give the army what they need to win this war and not end up like we did in Vietnam.
Sorry about that wishful thinking - there is not a chance of winning in the sense that we come away with a democracy in the mideast.
cd-editor

Constitutional Rights

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

Constitutional rights apply only to U.S. citizens, but civil and moral rights apply to all mankind, friend or foe.
At least that has been the case in past administrations.
It is true that there have been lapses in the past but nothing to compare to the vile agonistic behavior of Bush Administration.
I have been told to forget about the election, its over, water under the bridge. However, I cannot sit quitely by and allow the destruction of principles that are standards by which we live in a free society.
This administration is a devil in Christian clothing.
There is no greater danger than a self righteous Christian that knows he is right and immune to the judgements of God because he is on God's errand.
SO HELP ME BUSH
cd-editor

Picture Tells The Whole Story

I cannot tell a lie. I slept through the entire State of the Union address. Why stay up and watch hundreds of Republicans stand and cheer while a lesser number of Democrats sit on their hands and frown?
A picture is worth a thousand words.
The picture on the front page of the New York Times tells the whole story.
(See www.nytimes.com)

There standing the president with his hand to the square.
Standing behind him Dick Cheney with the look of a puppeteer and Dennis Hastert looks as if he is trying to pass a Republican turd and call it "legislation for the good of America".
The fact that the president has his left hand raised to the square to take an oath of honesty is not lost on the wise.
Why read the full text of this speech, Dubya has already given the sign that anything he says is not true.
NUFF SAID
cd-editor

Disclosure Statement

Ok, It's time to fess-up.
The editor knows that most of y'all readers think this is a typical liberal website. The editor hates to bust y'alls balls, but the editor has been contacted by the Justice Department, post Ashcroft, and they have said that all contracts between the press and the Bush Administration must be disclosed.
Being the honest citizen that the editor is, the editor confesses that The Bloomburg Democrat has received a few thousand dollars to promote Texese on an unsuspecting nation.
Why, you ask would the government spend good tax-payer money on this project?
Well you don't have to be a English teacher to figure this out.
The Administration wants to make Texese the Lingua Franca of the civilized world.
Why are we fixin to do that?
To stop all those N'Eastern pseudo-neocon's from makin fun of the way the President speaks, silly.
The President has been hankering to find a global paper to tackle this project and after reading the Bloomburg Democrat, not withstanding the name, decided this hounddog can hunt.
So, with this disclosure, you now understand why there appears to be a few misspellins, syllabification errors, syntax errors and other such affronts to the King's English in this venerable paper.
Hell, we fought a war to get away from that way of ah talkin.
I guess while I am confessing my sins I mightest well go whole hog.
I love George Walker Bush like the black brother I never had. I think Dick Cheney is one cool dresser, I believe that Condie(can't spell her real name)Rice will go down in history as the greatest Sec. of State this country has ever produced, that Donald Rumsfeld should be beatified by John Paul II, I promise you that I can't wait to vote for Bush III for president, and lastly I know the President is right that all OBGYN's should be able to love women like they want to.
The following was a paid political announcement by cd the future official biographer of Dubya, yo mamma was a saint to not drown you at birth, Bush.

cd-editor

Arrogance Personified

President Bush has appalling timing. On the day that 37 U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq, he had the gall to say,
" I firmly planted the flag of liberty."
There have been few people, in my life, that cause me such mental anguish as this president.
After reading the report yesterday of the use of female interrogators of Arab prisoners, I was again shocked by the actions of this administration and I thought that would not be possible.
Has the president no shame?
It is hard to be a proud American!
cd-editor

Family Success

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Sticky Ladder

David Brooks knows of what he speaks.
This is a liberal stand by a Bush conservative.

I agree that basing life success on financial success is tendencious, but that is the world we live in today.
Even those that profess strong religious principles are led by the successful(rich).
Education, rightly so, is the road to the Palatine Hill.
Only the ignorant profess allegiance to ignorance.

cd-editor

Are We Really This Decadent

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Dancing the War Away

I guess so.

cd-editor

Mad Molly

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

An he has only been in office one day.
cd

Potomac Tea Party

D.C.'s $12 Million Tab (washingtonpost.com)

It time for a Potomac Tea Party.
This is a classic case of taxation without representation.
This administration is charging Washington D.C. residents for their party.
Some of this 12 million dollars is being used to build a grandstand for Bushies to sit on while watching the parade.
What are the chances of a resident of the intercity getting to sit on the benches?
This is the first time the federal government has required the city to pay for it's party.
Dubya is a piece of work!
cd-editor

A Fool Looks at Social Security

Fool.com: Opportunity Knocks [Commentary] January 18, 2005

This is a good look at both sides of the argument about the changes preposed for Social Security.
The question is - whose right?
It's your money, so get informed and let your congressman know what you think.
cd-editor

Oh Mr. Krugman - Say It Isn't So!

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: That Magic Moment

You may not like this guy, but if you can't prove him wrong, you had better listen to what he says.
cd-editor

Darkest Before the Dawn

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

Although the dawn is at least fours years in the future.
cd-editor

Teacher Laura Bush

HoustonChronicle.com - Bush has second thoughts about some remarks

I will give Laura Bush the benefit of "the doubt".
I doubt that she said, "Why did you do that for?"
cd-editor

Sweet Molly

Salt Lake Tribune - Opinion

I suspect that Molly rather kiss a possum than hear the B-word.
cd

Same Song of Iraq

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Scent of Fear

I guess one day this message will sink in and we will know that this will not end successfully.

cd-editor

Why Are We So Dumb, Again

Did we not learn one lesson during the Vietnam debacle?
Does election to office cause brain damage?
cd-editor

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Defining Victory Down

Who Voted for Bush

Yahoo! News - White House paid commentator to promote law

I would like just one person that voted for Bush to defend this action.
I am nearly positive this is illegal and I know it is immoral.
cd-editor

Solution to Troop Shortage

Reservists May Face Longer Tours of Duty (washingtonpost.com)

First off I want the President to seriously consider my solution to his problem of too few soldiers.

I suggest that we draft old geezers like me and Jack Zylks.
Just consider my reasoning.
We are use to following orders.
We know how to carry out the trash.
If we are killed, just compare the news reports.

Two old geezers driving gasoline truck, one deaf and one with a heart condition killed by roadside bomb. Their wives throw a party for the checkers at Wal-Mart.
Compare
Two 24 year old Marines killed by roadside bomb. They each have two young children that will miss them dearly.
No contest on which news release you had rather read in your local paper.

If the president would do us this favor, we would have something to talk about rather than our hemorrhoids and elevated blood sugar.
Another benefit of this would be that the young guys could be doing what they are good at - killing terrorists and us old guys could be doing what we are good at - the crud work. This would be good for all concerned.

If by chance, Jack and I survive the war we would be eligible to join the VFW and could then sit around drinking beer and playing bingo.

Please Mr. President seriously consider this new battle plan.
cd-editor

Hell Yes Cut Th'm Benefits

Yahoo! News - Bush Memo Seen Favoring Social Security Cuts

I agree with Old Dubya 100%.
Cut th'm Social Security benefits to Grandma.
There ain't no need for her to get no $836 a month to live on.
Hell she ain't got no teeth of her own anyhow, so she couldn't chew steak even if she could afford it.
Why spend any aur hard earned tax money on her spensive drug for her roomatism, the old heifer already has one foot in the grave and the other on a half dried cow pile.
Nother thing, she wants to keep her house at 80 degrees winter and summer cause she claims she got poor circulation. See here, just another old person that is using up more than their share.
Thank you Mister President for your cumpassionate Reprobatism.

cd-editor

Sharp Tongue - True Facts

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Don't Torture
Yourself (That's His Job)

Read it and weep.

More On Gonzales

HoustonChronicle.com - Gonzales to pledge commitment to civil liberties

Yeah and I pledge to kiss Lisa's dog on the mouth every morning when I get up and every night as I go to bed.

cd

Texas Education

Richardson High School graduate Jessica Simpson is not known for her smarts, but this should require an inspection of her diploma.

When she was introduced to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton, she said, "You've done a nice job decorating the White House.

Everything else about her seems to check out.

cd-editor

Sins of Commission

The New York Times > Washington > Bush's Counsel Sought Ruling About Torture

We hung both Germans and Japanese after the Second World War for these kinds of legal decisions.
Mr. Gonzales does not deserve to be Attorney General - he deserves to be cell mate with his idol.
Harry Truman made the correct observation on responsibility when he said, "The buck stops here".
The final decision that the U.S. would and could torture prisioners is on the shoulders of George W. Bush.
If we the voters condone this action, then we are of that ilk.
I accept no blame because I didn't vote for this knuckle-head.
cd-editor

I Should Have Known

The New York Times > Washington > After Retreat, G.O.P. Changes House Ethics Rule

I should have known that congress was up to no good whenever they say they are going to do the right thing.
Ethics is not a word in the congressional dictionary.
This new ruling will effectively make sure that voters can blame no one but themselves for electing these crooks.
cd

Fact or Fiction

GOP Abandons Ethics Changes (washingtonpost.com)

One of two possibilities with this action.

One - the Republicans have repented.
Two - Tom Delay is as guilty as sin and the Republican leadership has decided to throw him out with the trash.

I guess there could be a third reason.
DeLay thinks he has no reason to worry about being indicted by the Texas grand jury.

Being the cynic I am, I would put my money on the last two possibilities.

cd

More About Social Insecurity

Here is another link to debunk the administrations fiscal policies.
cd

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Stopping the Bum's Rush

Bush's Social Insecurity

If you are young enough to not worry about Social Security, I suggest you read this article and take it to heart.
The administration's plan is a danger to your economic health during your retirement years.
Get informed and vote accordingly.
cd-editor

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: The Social Security Fear Factor

Harper's Index - Jan 2005

Just a few items to give you indigestion!

Years since the Justice D. last released the #of U.S. terror suspects in preventive detention : 3, Source- Human Rights Watch, Wahington

Factor by which an Iraqi is more likely to die today, than in the last year of the Hussein regime : 2.5
Factor by which the cause of death is more likely to be violent: 58, Source- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

Percentage of Pentagon contracts since 1998 that have been awarded on a no-bid basis: 44 , Source - Center for Public Integrity, Washington

Ratio of the # of people in Haiti to the # of permanent full time jobs there: 80-1
Source- Haiti Support Group, London

Rank of Wal-Mart among Mexico's largest private employer: 1, Source - Wal-Mart, Arkansas

Average # of suicides/100,000 residents in states carried by Bush in Nov. :13.5
Average # in states carried by Kerry: 9.9 , Source, Harvard Medical School

cd

New Republican Ethics

Rigging the Rules (washingtonpost.com)

The new Republican ethics is nothing more than the old Republican immorality.
I would trust a homosexual abortionists before I would trust a Republican congressperson(gender correct).
What is it going to take for those who voted for Bush to realize what a mistake they made?
I am running out of words to describe this administration. It is getting harder and harder to refrain from profanity.
Oh well, this to shall pass - But I am sure getting tired of prunes.
cd-editor

Scout Law

I promise to do my best.
A scout is honest.

Why can't our president be a good scout?
Trust in our government is the keystone to good citizenship.
Does anyone want to be a member of an organization that is fraudulent?
If you answer that in the affirmative, please tell me why.
What happened to the good old American ethic of "My word is my bond"?
France has been catching a lot of flack in the American press, but at least you know where they stand. I am not sure you can say the same thing about the United States of America.

Bush is all boots and no cows. Of course, cows do provide the polish.

For Shame, For Shame!
cd

The New York Times > Opinion > Editorial: Are We Stingy? Yes

Bush Takes Care of the Poor

I hope that you are not poor and living in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Our compassionate president has directed HUD (The Department of Housing and Urban Development) to cut $1,000,000 from the funding of housing assistance for the poor in SLC.
Of course, SLC is not alone, these new guidelines are in effect nation-wide.
This cut in Section 8 aid effects families with an average income of $9,600 or less.
I guess this balances out by giving those that make more than $200,000 a year a tax cut.
The timing is also great - not only will they be kicked out of their homes but lets do it in the winter.
It takes a cold hearted bastard to make these new guidelines for funding.
For Shame, For Shame!
See the link below for more details.
cd-editor

Salt Lake Tribune - Salt Lake Tribune Home Page

Indonesia

Tom, If you have time let us know if you are in Washington or Indonesia.
I know that you are busy with all the turmoil in Asia.
cd

Are You Worried Yet?

If you are not worried about the direction this administration is headed, you might want to visit you neurologists and have him determine if you still have viable neurons.
Check out Friedman's article in today's NYT.

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: Sunday News Quiz

It will not help to stick your head in the sand.
Remember your butt is still exposed.

cd-editor

Senate Rule 22

Senate rule 22 will be questionably the most important law affecting the freedoms of American women during the next four years.

George W. Bush will have the opportunity to nominate at least one and maybe as many as three new justices to the Supreme Court. He will also be selecting a new Chief Justice in the event the current Chief Justice's health does not improve.

Rule 22 is the Senate rule that can stop a filibuster by envoking cloture.
This requires a 3/5 majority(60 senators in today's senate).
With the Republicans having a 51 to 49 majority in the Senate, they can easily approve any nominee that President Bush puts forth. Therefore, those in opposition to Bush's nominations will be forced to rely on a filibuster to prevent these nominations.

With the current Supreme Court split on a 5 to 4 ratio in favor of sustaining Roe vs. Wade, just one more conservative justice will make the over-throw of this law of reason possible. If Bush nominates either Scalia or Thomas as the new Chief Justice women will pay a severe price.

This is a moral question, but not in the way most conservatives see it.
The true moral question is: How can a government pass laws that revoke the rights of its citizens to control their own health? Only a woman and her physician have the understanding when and if a woman should have an abortion.

No Congressman or Supreme Court Justice has the relationship with God that gives them the right to make this decision.

If you believe that women's rights are in jeopardy under this administration, I suggest you start now and not wait until the deed is done to contact your senators and make sure they understand your vote and support depends on them doing everything possible to sustain Roe vs. Wade.
It appears at this time, the only way to accomplish this is to prevent President Bush from putting a right wing justice on the Supreme Court bench.

A U.S. Senate search on the internet will give you the name, address, telephone number and email address of your senators.
Write them, call them, email them now and give them your views.
The religious bigots have already been working for years to repeal Roe vs. Wade; so don't procrastinate or you will surely suffer the consequences.

cd

Merry Christmas

We repentant conservatives here in Btown hope that during this season when we celebrate the Prince of Peace, your prayers will be answered, your life will be fullfilling, your companions will be loving, your children will be obedient, and your dog will come when called.

I hope as editor of this repository of opinion that you will be challenged to think ouside of the box and then share your views with others that seek truth and knowledge.

Welcome to the premier issue of the BloomburgDemocrat web site.

If nothing is said to challenge your views then this endeavor is of little worth.

I encourage you to participate.
I encourage you to be civil in your debate.

I hope you will find some good with the bad.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2005.

cd-editor