Senator Conrad Burns keeps delivering the lines. On top of his bragging of his “little Guatemalan” yard man and criticizing Virginia firefighters for doing a “piss poor” job, the Laurel to Senator Allen’s Hardy keeps the repartee going.
Republican Sen. Conrad Burns says the United States is up against a faceless enemy of terrorists who "drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night."
I can only conclude the Republican big tent is open to macacas, little Guatemalan men but no taxi drivers are allowed. Will they be able to drop off their clients for the big elephant show? Conrad would say only if proper security precautions have been taken. I see large concrete planters and taxi sniffing dogs. Won’t their lack of faces give them away?
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Medicare’s Sorry Chemo Study Portends What?
The esteemed Senator from Iowa recently lambasted cancer doctors for devising a nefarious program to enrich the already rich via a chemotherapy study. The Inspector General found Medicare’s study to be poorly designed and implemented.
In November 2004, Dr. Mark McClellan bragged about this innovative study.
“We are working with the National Cancer Institute, oncologists, and the cancer community to develop better evidence to design the best possible treatment decisions for our beneficiaries. There are too many unanswered questions in cancer care today fro seniors and people with disabilities, and Medicare will help develop more practical evidence to improve care.”
Some suggest the $300 million paid to oncologists for participating in the study helped make up for an estimated $500 million decrease in their Medicare reimbursement to private oncology offices that provide chemotherapy services for 2005. This could be the reason Senator Grassley blames “greedy physicians”.
I reviewed some of the Medicare communication to physicians’ offices on the study and found several concerns. The document specifically says “we are not mandating a specific approach to collect the data”. It could be collected by the physician or a member of their office staff. While Medicare wants clinical information, it does not specify a clinician collect the information.
My other concern is in regard to the lack of operation definitions for the measures of interest, nausea, pain, and lack of energy. Under each area patients self report "not at all", "a little", "quite a bit", or "very much". This data is subjective and responses will vary by patient with no clarification as to the difference between a little and quite a bit or very much. Were Medicare truly interested in this data, they would have given the patient a log book to record the patient’s experience on all three measures throughout the course of treatment. Definitions would be included that aided the patient in accurately recording their experiences.
That a demonstration project could be so poorly planned and executed is disturbing enough. That it’d been intended as a bribe or a pain reduction strategy is even more discouraging. What does that portend for the Bush administration’s big quality push? Are huge payment reductions just around the corner? With the Bush plans to cut reimbursement for pacemakers is a big cardiac study on its way?
In November 2004, Dr. Mark McClellan bragged about this innovative study.
“We are working with the National Cancer Institute, oncologists, and the cancer community to develop better evidence to design the best possible treatment decisions for our beneficiaries. There are too many unanswered questions in cancer care today fro seniors and people with disabilities, and Medicare will help develop more practical evidence to improve care.”
Some suggest the $300 million paid to oncologists for participating in the study helped make up for an estimated $500 million decrease in their Medicare reimbursement to private oncology offices that provide chemotherapy services for 2005. This could be the reason Senator Grassley blames “greedy physicians”.
I reviewed some of the Medicare communication to physicians’ offices on the study and found several concerns. The document specifically says “we are not mandating a specific approach to collect the data”. It could be collected by the physician or a member of their office staff. While Medicare wants clinical information, it does not specify a clinician collect the information.
My other concern is in regard to the lack of operation definitions for the measures of interest, nausea, pain, and lack of energy. Under each area patients self report "not at all", "a little", "quite a bit", or "very much". This data is subjective and responses will vary by patient with no clarification as to the difference between a little and quite a bit or very much. Were Medicare truly interested in this data, they would have given the patient a log book to record the patient’s experience on all three measures throughout the course of treatment. Definitions would be included that aided the patient in accurately recording their experiences.
That a demonstration project could be so poorly planned and executed is disturbing enough. That it’d been intended as a bribe or a pain reduction strategy is even more discouraging. What does that portend for the Bush administration’s big quality push? Are huge payment reductions just around the corner? With the Bush plans to cut reimbursement for pacemakers is a big cardiac study on its way?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
That Sandbagging Bush Administration Undercounts on Uninsured?
Why did the number of Americans without health insurance for 2004 change in the last 12 months? The August 2005 report issued by the Census Bureau said:
In 2004, 45.8 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 45.0 million people in 2003
What did the just released 2006 report say the number of uninsured were in ’04?
In 2005, 46.6 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 45.3 million people in 2004
What happened to half a million people? If the original number was correct and the increase 1.3 million, then America really has 47.1 million uninsureds. This joined the series of unanswered questions posed to my elected representatives.
In 2004, 45.8 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 45.0 million people in 2003
What did the just released 2006 report say the number of uninsured were in ’04?
In 2005, 46.6 million people were without health insurance coverage, up from 45.3 million people in 2004
What happened to half a million people? If the original number was correct and the increase 1.3 million, then America really has 47.1 million uninsureds. This joined the series of unanswered questions posed to my elected representatives.
Defense Contractor CEO Pay Doubles Since 9-11
A study shows CEO’s of companies with extensive defense contracts are being paid almost double what they earned prior to September 11th, 2001. The pay is a combination of salary, bonuses and stock options.
Less than two weeks ago I looked at the needy defense industry, given extra time to fully fund their employee pension programs by Congress.
I found companies doing extremely well. CEO’s claim their performance enabled them to earn their increased income. How come it doesn’t enable them to fund their pension obligations in a manner consistent with other American employers?
The whole method of CEO pay is a farce, based on false assumptions, bad theory. Incentive pay and pay for performance will be the undoing of many organizations, as it encourages sub-optimization. Rather than focus on the work, people focus on their pay, what they need to do to manipulate it. There will be many more Ken Lays and Richard Scrushys. It is predictable.
Less than two weeks ago I looked at the needy defense industry, given extra time to fully fund their employee pension programs by Congress.
I found companies doing extremely well. CEO’s claim their performance enabled them to earn their increased income. How come it doesn’t enable them to fund their pension obligations in a manner consistent with other American employers?
The whole method of CEO pay is a farce, based on false assumptions, bad theory. Incentive pay and pay for performance will be the undoing of many organizations, as it encourages sub-optimization. Rather than focus on the work, people focus on their pay, what they need to do to manipulate it. There will be many more Ken Lays and Richard Scrushys. It is predictable.
Bird Flu Government’s Back Up Plan to Deal with Illegal Immigration?
As scientists test for bird flu in Alaska, the Census Department released new data on the number of uninsured in America. The number grew by 1.3 million to 46.6 million people. Nearly 9.5 million uninsureds are illegal immigrants. In July Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor, quit covering illegal immigrants.
While they comprise only 20% of our countries uninsured, Republican lawmakers act as if they are the major cause of America’s problem. Normally the 80-20 rule operates the other way, but then again they confuse root cause with proximate cause.
The federal plan to deal with a bird flu pandemic is woefully inadequate. Anti-viral stockpiles and flu shots won’t come close to covering America’s nearly 300 million people. The feds will be lucky to help one sixth of the U.S. population. Government officials ensured they’re in that one sixth in the flu pandemic plan.
The end result is 5/6 of Americans will be on their own, at risk for death and disability from a flu outbreak. Market forces will take over, even if they’re black market. How will the 9.5 million illegal immigrants fare, especially the poor ones no longer on Medicaid?
I don’t think Republicans are purposefully planning for people in America to perish in a bird flu epidemic, yet their woeful product ensures such a result. However, their intentional dropping of illegal immigrants from Medicaid will harm the country’s response to a bird flu outbreak, should one occur. With millions of people trying to lay low and stay under the radar, both surveillance and early intervention become much more challenging.
While they comprise only 20% of our countries uninsured, Republican lawmakers act as if they are the major cause of America’s problem. Normally the 80-20 rule operates the other way, but then again they confuse root cause with proximate cause.
The federal plan to deal with a bird flu pandemic is woefully inadequate. Anti-viral stockpiles and flu shots won’t come close to covering America’s nearly 300 million people. The feds will be lucky to help one sixth of the U.S. population. Government officials ensured they’re in that one sixth in the flu pandemic plan.
The end result is 5/6 of Americans will be on their own, at risk for death and disability from a flu outbreak. Market forces will take over, even if they’re black market. How will the 9.5 million illegal immigrants fare, especially the poor ones no longer on Medicaid?
I don’t think Republicans are purposefully planning for people in America to perish in a bird flu epidemic, yet their woeful product ensures such a result. However, their intentional dropping of illegal immigrants from Medicaid will harm the country’s response to a bird flu outbreak, should one occur. With millions of people trying to lay low and stay under the radar, both surveillance and early intervention become much more challenging.
The Stricken Body Politic
With the fall election campaign ready to kick into full gear post Labor Day weekend, how fares America’s body politic? The right and the left sides still function per orders from the opposite side of the brain. The problem arises from the aftermath of the series of strokes rendering the two sides of the brain incapable of communicating with each other.
The first stoke occurred with the advent of the permanent campaign, where candidates essentially never stop running for office. Every move is couched in win/lose. The following series of strokes happened after selling the elected soul for campaign donations, the parlaying of political influence into financial gain.
With money and prestige as the reward elections became hyper-competitive, rendering larger parts of the brain inoperable. Thus the right side of the body operates on orders from the left which is incapable of communicating with its counterpart. The left side, controlled by the right brain does its own thing. Thus the body politic flails around uncontrollably.
And politicians wonder why people don’t vote? When we find a person in such a state, we call an ambulance. Why shouldn’t we do likewise here?
The first stoke occurred with the advent of the permanent campaign, where candidates essentially never stop running for office. Every move is couched in win/lose. The following series of strokes happened after selling the elected soul for campaign donations, the parlaying of political influence into financial gain.
With money and prestige as the reward elections became hyper-competitive, rendering larger parts of the brain inoperable. Thus the right side of the body operates on orders from the left which is incapable of communicating with its counterpart. The left side, controlled by the right brain does its own thing. Thus the body politic flails around uncontrollably.
And politicians wonder why people don’t vote? When we find a person in such a state, we call an ambulance. Why shouldn’t we do likewise here?
Early Verdict on Bush Health Care Plans, Money Wasted
President Bush’s recent Executive Order included a mandate to measure and reward quality. A news report suggested an early step in this direction to be a waste of money.
Cancer doctors received about $275 million from the federal government and the elderly last year as part of a yearlong research project that many doctors believe won't produce any useful findings. In a report to be released Wednesday, the inspector general for the Health and Human Services Department cast doubt on whether the money was well-spent. He questioned the integrity of the data that doctors submitted.
"We identified numerous anomalies and gaps in the data and collection methods," said the report from Inspector General Daniel Levinson. Levinson concluded the report by calling the data "unreliable."
Congress appropriated the money, Health & Human Services designed and conducted the study via Medicare and guess who’s being blamed for this? Doctors, yes those greedy doctors are being blamed! The same Senator who wants to tax pimps, whores and non profit hospitals weighed in:
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said taxpayers and beneficiaries were "bilked" because they paid for services that physicians are already supposed to provide.
"It looks like the Medicare program has played games and used demonstration projects, whose legitimate purpose is to test new and innovative ideas for delivering health care, for questionable purposes," Grassley added.
From the article it appears the study designers to be at fault.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regularly carries out research, but the chemotherapy project is by far the biggest. It was estimated to cost $300 million, including the beneficiaries' copays.
Who designed the study and implemented it? Who decided to pay $130 per assessment? Did someone in HHS do this or was it contracted out to the private sector?
Recall the Bush emphasis on quality measures? Medicare representatives used this as their defense.
"We're trying to go from a system that is completely blind to what goes on in the doctor's office to one that is highly informed and very helpful to the practicing doctor and to the beneficiary through transparency and quality measures," said Dr. Peter B. Bach, a senior adviser at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Unfortunately, this crew doesn’t know how to get there. At least that’s the opinion of the Inspector General.
This is the new third new growth industry created by Bush strategies. The first centered fostered widespread education testing, the second innovative intelligence gathering, and now health care price and quality information.
The Bush team operates without profound knowledge. As Dr. Deming, the famed quality guru said:
“We are being ruined by best efforts.” & “We should by guided by theory, not by numbers.”
Bush continues to deliver his best efforts without theory.
Cancer doctors received about $275 million from the federal government and the elderly last year as part of a yearlong research project that many doctors believe won't produce any useful findings. In a report to be released Wednesday, the inspector general for the Health and Human Services Department cast doubt on whether the money was well-spent. He questioned the integrity of the data that doctors submitted.
"We identified numerous anomalies and gaps in the data and collection methods," said the report from Inspector General Daniel Levinson. Levinson concluded the report by calling the data "unreliable."
Congress appropriated the money, Health & Human Services designed and conducted the study via Medicare and guess who’s being blamed for this? Doctors, yes those greedy doctors are being blamed! The same Senator who wants to tax pimps, whores and non profit hospitals weighed in:
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said taxpayers and beneficiaries were "bilked" because they paid for services that physicians are already supposed to provide.
"It looks like the Medicare program has played games and used demonstration projects, whose legitimate purpose is to test new and innovative ideas for delivering health care, for questionable purposes," Grassley added.
From the article it appears the study designers to be at fault.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regularly carries out research, but the chemotherapy project is by far the biggest. It was estimated to cost $300 million, including the beneficiaries' copays.
Who designed the study and implemented it? Who decided to pay $130 per assessment? Did someone in HHS do this or was it contracted out to the private sector?
Recall the Bush emphasis on quality measures? Medicare representatives used this as their defense.
"We're trying to go from a system that is completely blind to what goes on in the doctor's office to one that is highly informed and very helpful to the practicing doctor and to the beneficiary through transparency and quality measures," said Dr. Peter B. Bach, a senior adviser at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Unfortunately, this crew doesn’t know how to get there. At least that’s the opinion of the Inspector General.
This is the new third new growth industry created by Bush strategies. The first centered fostered widespread education testing, the second innovative intelligence gathering, and now health care price and quality information.
The Bush team operates without profound knowledge. As Dr. Deming, the famed quality guru said:
“We are being ruined by best efforts.” & “We should by guided by theory, not by numbers.”
Bush continues to deliver his best efforts without theory.
Democracy? Not Anymore
When the Vice President can say a list of people under his employ is classified information and a U.S. Senator can keep secret government contracts worth $2.5 trillion something is very wrong in River City.
Meanwhile Dick Cheney derides Russia for controlling information and Donald Rumsfeld accuses China of being nontransparent. Where’s Pogo when you need him?
Meanwhile Dick Cheney derides Russia for controlling information and Donald Rumsfeld accuses China of being nontransparent. Where’s Pogo when you need him?
Who Pays These People to “Serve” in Congress?
Those expecting intelligent analysis and thoughtful strategies from our elected representatives continue to be disappointed. The latest Census numbers on poverty and health insurance just hit the newsstands. Poverty stayed the same at roughly 37 million people while the number of uninsured rose another 1.3 million to 46.6 million.
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said immigrants are skewing the health insurance statistics. "As the Census Bureau's report (Tuesday) indicated, the group most likely to be without health insurance in America is, in fact, not American at all," Barton said. "Non-citizens swell the ranks of the uninsured dramatically when they arrive in America with hopes and dreams, but without insurance."
About a third of all immigrants - legal and illegal - were without health insurance last year, according to the Census Bureau's report. About 13.4 percent of people born in the U.S. had no health insurance.
What Joe failed to mention is the number of uninsured illegals increased by only 20,000 from 9,469,000 to 9,487,000 (see Table 8). This means 1.28 million or 98% of the increase in uninsureds came from red blooded American citizens. It appears not many of them arrived last year or the Census Bureau failed to count them. Either way, Joe looks uninformed.
While foreign born non citizens make up 20 percent of the uninsured, Congress has worked hard to insure this problem remains. Just last month Medicaid implemented rules restricting coverage to American citizens.
That leaves 80% of the uninsured full blooded Americans. What plans does Joe Barton have for them to get affordable health care coverage? None. His party’s signature strategy is for people to self insure for the first $1,000 to $10,000 using tax free dollars. Kansas farmer’s experience with such plans shows one third of under 65 farmers carrying significant medical debt.
So while Joe Barton points at the 20% claiming it to be the main factor, Republicans are going to shaft the 80% with more financial responsibility. As we know from last summer the Republican mantra is “You’re On Your Own!”
Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said immigrants are skewing the health insurance statistics. "As the Census Bureau's report (Tuesday) indicated, the group most likely to be without health insurance in America is, in fact, not American at all," Barton said. "Non-citizens swell the ranks of the uninsured dramatically when they arrive in America with hopes and dreams, but without insurance."
About a third of all immigrants - legal and illegal - were without health insurance last year, according to the Census Bureau's report. About 13.4 percent of people born in the U.S. had no health insurance.
What Joe failed to mention is the number of uninsured illegals increased by only 20,000 from 9,469,000 to 9,487,000 (see Table 8). This means 1.28 million or 98% of the increase in uninsureds came from red blooded American citizens. It appears not many of them arrived last year or the Census Bureau failed to count them. Either way, Joe looks uninformed.
While foreign born non citizens make up 20 percent of the uninsured, Congress has worked hard to insure this problem remains. Just last month Medicaid implemented rules restricting coverage to American citizens.
That leaves 80% of the uninsured full blooded Americans. What plans does Joe Barton have for them to get affordable health care coverage? None. His party’s signature strategy is for people to self insure for the first $1,000 to $10,000 using tax free dollars. Kansas farmer’s experience with such plans shows one third of under 65 farmers carrying significant medical debt.
So while Joe Barton points at the 20% claiming it to be the main factor, Republicans are going to shaft the 80% with more financial responsibility. As we know from last summer the Republican mantra is “You’re On Your Own!”
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Bush Record on Health Insurance and Poverty
The U.S. Census Bureau likes to hide statistical changes using two and three year averages. Below are the raw numbers on the number of uninsured since President Bush has been in office.
2001 41.2 million
2005 46.6 million
Total increase 5.37 million
Percentage increase 13%
Switching to poverty, how has the Bush team’s policies performed?
2001 32.9 million
2005 36.9 million
Total increase 4 million
Percentage increase 12%
There you have it, the Bush policies at work!
2001 41.2 million
2005 46.6 million
Total increase 5.37 million
Percentage increase 13%
Switching to poverty, how has the Bush team’s policies performed?
2001 32.9 million
2005 36.9 million
Total increase 4 million
Percentage increase 12%
There you have it, the Bush policies at work!
Rumsfeld Raises Specter of Christian Hitler
Just when I thought Senator Santorum would deliver a Hitler analogy, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld beats him to the punch. Donald delivered the comparison in his speech to members of the American Legion. The news reported on his message.
Rumsfeld portrayed the administration's critics as suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion" about what threatens the nation's security. His remarks amounted to one of his most pointed defenses of President Bush' war policies and was among his toughest attacks on Bush's critics.
Speaking to several thousand veterans at the American Legion's national convention, Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failure to confront Hitler. He quoted Winston Churchill as observing that trying to accommodate Hitler was "a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last."
"I recount this history because once again we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism," he said.
"Can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?" he asked.
"Can we truly afford to return to the destructive view that America - not the enemy - is the real source of the world's troubles?"
Just to be clear about this blogger’s opinions, I don’t believe pathological narcissists can be accommodated. The question in my mind is which world leaders fit that profile. As I look around I see a number of candidates, the Iranian President and the U.S. President both seem to meet the criteria. Why not conduct a “mental evaluation test off” to resolve which leaders are incapable of mutually cooperative and beneficial relationships?
As for the extremists the main question is what methods work best to identify and neutralize them? War as the primary strategy already seems an abject failure.
The view that American is the source of the world’s troubles is shared by the world, which in this case would be the customer. In a two party relationship, normally things aren’t always one way, unless you happen to be George Bush.
There are moderate leaders in place in most Muslim countries. The question is how to support these people in effective ways to reduce the impact and threat of fundamentalists. Come to think of it, a few Christian nations face the same challenge.
Didn’t Hitler use his Christianity to oppress others? It’s amazing how things come around in a circle. In one short piece, Donald Rumsfeld could come back to where he started, but he won’t as he uses propaganda as well as the one he reviles.
Rumsfeld portrayed the administration's critics as suffering from "moral or intellectual confusion" about what threatens the nation's security. His remarks amounted to one of his most pointed defenses of President Bush' war policies and was among his toughest attacks on Bush's critics.
Speaking to several thousand veterans at the American Legion's national convention, Rumsfeld recited what he called the lessons of history, including the failure to confront Hitler. He quoted Winston Churchill as observing that trying to accommodate Hitler was "a bit like feeding a crocodile, hoping it would eat you last."
"I recount this history because once again we face similar challenges in efforts to confront the rising threat of a new type of fascism," he said.
"Can we truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?" he asked.
"Can we truly afford to return to the destructive view that America - not the enemy - is the real source of the world's troubles?"
Just to be clear about this blogger’s opinions, I don’t believe pathological narcissists can be accommodated. The question in my mind is which world leaders fit that profile. As I look around I see a number of candidates, the Iranian President and the U.S. President both seem to meet the criteria. Why not conduct a “mental evaluation test off” to resolve which leaders are incapable of mutually cooperative and beneficial relationships?
As for the extremists the main question is what methods work best to identify and neutralize them? War as the primary strategy already seems an abject failure.
The view that American is the source of the world’s troubles is shared by the world, which in this case would be the customer. In a two party relationship, normally things aren’t always one way, unless you happen to be George Bush.
There are moderate leaders in place in most Muslim countries. The question is how to support these people in effective ways to reduce the impact and threat of fundamentalists. Come to think of it, a few Christian nations face the same challenge.
Didn’t Hitler use his Christianity to oppress others? It’s amazing how things come around in a circle. In one short piece, Donald Rumsfeld could come back to where he started, but he won’t as he uses propaganda as well as the one he reviles.
Bush High Deductible Plans Already Used by Farmers
The President’s signature strategy to reform healthcare already is in use by many farmers. To save money, many younger farmers purchase high deductible health plans. A study by The Access Project revealed one in six farmers had high medical debt. Netting out older persons covered by Medicare, the number rose to one in three reporting significant medical bills. Ninety percent reported owing money to doctors and hospitals.
The Bush plan aims to spread the farmer experience nationwide. What does this mean for the average American? More medical debt as businesses and government cut back their responsibility. President Bush is the head cheerleader on high deductible insurance plans and health savings accounts. He’s using his megaphone to make the average citizen less well off. The farmer experience is concrete evidence of this fact.
The Bush plan aims to spread the farmer experience nationwide. What does this mean for the average American? More medical debt as businesses and government cut back their responsibility. President Bush is the head cheerleader on high deductible insurance plans and health savings accounts. He’s using his megaphone to make the average citizen less well off. The farmer experience is concrete evidence of this fact.
Republican Tent Big Enough for “Macacas” & “Little Guatemalan Men”
The inclusive Republican Party recently extended invitations to specific groups to come under their broad tent. Senator George Allen invited all “macacas” to come inside while Senator Conrad Burns reached out to all “little Guatemalan men” to join him in the shade.
Monkey and midgets under a big tent, what’s going on here? Does this make VP Cheney and Sec Rumsfeld lion tamers? And Condi, I can see her on the tightrope walk. She needs a net given her myopia.
And who’s the guy in the top hat as it’s hard to tell from a distance? Is that George Bush or Karl Rove? Yes, its Circus time again courtesy of America’s political party system.
Monkey and midgets under a big tent, what’s going on here? Does this make VP Cheney and Sec Rumsfeld lion tamers? And Condi, I can see her on the tightrope walk. She needs a net given her myopia.
And who’s the guy in the top hat as it’s hard to tell from a distance? Is that George Bush or Karl Rove? Yes, its Circus time again courtesy of America’s political party system.
Bush to Remember What His Lessons Learned Report Didn’t Mention?
While remembering the victims of Hurricane Katrina will President Bush honor the 24 patients who died in The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospital? His White House Lessons Learned Report completely omits any mention of these deaths. Will he acknowledge them today on the one year anniversary of the storm’s landfall?
Monday, August 28, 2006
Santorum’s Sanitarium
In Senator Rick Santorum’s world terrorists target the U.S. because they hate our freedom, our way of life The problem is several of the terrorist groups have not targeted Americans or our interests abroad. Hamas and Hezbollah do not meet the good Senator’s criteria.
How might that change with the U.S. rush shipping cluster bombs to Israel in the middle of their revenge inspired assault on the fledgling Lebanese democracy? Rick didn’t speak to that, but he did compare the current war on Islamic fascism to World War II. Can a Hitler Ahmadinejad juxtaposition be far behind?
How might that change with the U.S. rush shipping cluster bombs to Israel in the middle of their revenge inspired assault on the fledgling Lebanese democracy? Rick didn’t speak to that, but he did compare the current war on Islamic fascism to World War II. Can a Hitler Ahmadinejad juxtaposition be far behind?
Rumsfeld May Lose His Pluto Platform in Planet Reclassification
Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld may lose his favorite podium from which he analyzes the world scene should Pluto be reclassified as a minor planet. This would cause him to move his sights closer to Earth. Consider his basic comments in the last few days.
1. North Korea is not a military threat to South Korea
2. The United States missile defense system may not be able to handle multiple missiles targeting the West Coast. The dangerous launcher would be North Korea.
How is North Korea a bigger threat to the U.S. than to their southern neighbor? What else did Rummy say?
3. The American people don’t like war, but “terrorist communication” is the reason as they unfairly claim U.S. soldiers kill innocent people
Who killed the 30,000 innocent Iraqi cited by President Bush? As for manipulating the media, who did the Pentagon blame for Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan until the 3rd or 4th investigation revealed “friendly fire”?
I’m afraid American’s have a little more smarts than the Bush cabal. Many understand root cause to be deeper than the immediately preceding event. Two thirds of U.S. citizens fail to understand how Iraq is ground zero for the war on terror when Sunni fundamentalist Muslims are fighting Shiite fundamentalist Muslims. The Islamo-fascists aren’t even one group.
Just as fundamentalist Christians feel their world is under attack, ergo last winter’s War on Christmas, fundy Muslims feel likewise. Donald spoke to that today.
4. "The enemy lies constantly - almost totally without consequence. They portray our cause as a war on Islam when in fact the overwhelming majority of victims of their terrorism have been thousands and thousands of innocent Muslims - men, women and children - they have killed."
Bush and Rumsfeld claim to be number junkies, so what’s the total? To date how many innocent people have died as a result of U.S. military action vs. terrorist activity? What’s the total on each side? That’s right the Pentagon doesn’t track that statistic!
Once the Pluto situation is settled, Sec. Rumsfeld will know whether he can keep his perch or needs to move. My vote is to send him further out, Xena the female warrior could need an inhabitant. Might Donald volunteer?
1. North Korea is not a military threat to South Korea
2. The United States missile defense system may not be able to handle multiple missiles targeting the West Coast. The dangerous launcher would be North Korea.
How is North Korea a bigger threat to the U.S. than to their southern neighbor? What else did Rummy say?
3. The American people don’t like war, but “terrorist communication” is the reason as they unfairly claim U.S. soldiers kill innocent people
Who killed the 30,000 innocent Iraqi cited by President Bush? As for manipulating the media, who did the Pentagon blame for Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan until the 3rd or 4th investigation revealed “friendly fire”?
I’m afraid American’s have a little more smarts than the Bush cabal. Many understand root cause to be deeper than the immediately preceding event. Two thirds of U.S. citizens fail to understand how Iraq is ground zero for the war on terror when Sunni fundamentalist Muslims are fighting Shiite fundamentalist Muslims. The Islamo-fascists aren’t even one group.
Just as fundamentalist Christians feel their world is under attack, ergo last winter’s War on Christmas, fundy Muslims feel likewise. Donald spoke to that today.
4. "The enemy lies constantly - almost totally without consequence. They portray our cause as a war on Islam when in fact the overwhelming majority of victims of their terrorism have been thousands and thousands of innocent Muslims - men, women and children - they have killed."
Bush and Rumsfeld claim to be number junkies, so what’s the total? To date how many innocent people have died as a result of U.S. military action vs. terrorist activity? What’s the total on each side? That’s right the Pentagon doesn’t track that statistic!
Once the Pluto situation is settled, Sec. Rumsfeld will know whether he can keep his perch or needs to move. My vote is to send him further out, Xena the female warrior could need an inhabitant. Might Donald volunteer?
The Group that Can’t Investigate Straight
Let me get this straight, the group that sat on their hands for a month blocking all international attempts to cease violence in Lebanon, the administration that approved a rush order of munitions to the aggressor, actually plans to conduct an investigation into Israel’s us of cluster bombs. This same group has a sorry history in conducting credible investigations.
Its Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned report doesn’t come close to including the basics of an investigation as it leaves unclear who was responsible for what and how they performed. One might think a hospital with 24 patient deaths would warrant mention in the report, but The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospitals got a free pass.
Numerous internal investigations remain “unfinished”, including the CIA agent leak. The Pat Tillman shooting death is on its 5th 6th iteration. It went from an ambush to a shooting by friendly fire.
Yes, this is the group looking into Israel’s use of cluster bombs, the weapons that keeps on maiming and killing. Want to bet the recipient of $2.4 billion in military aid gets a free pass? My money’s on that. With a wider conflict with Iran on the books there will be no Reagan like ban on selling the Israeli’s such weapons for 6 years.
U.S. Defense manufacturers need to keep sending the green to Republican candidates for their re-election campaigns. Reducing their revenue stream would be an unsightly thing for corporate profits. Companies making cluster bombs in America include AeroJet, Alliant Tech Systems, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Textron Defense Systems.
Its Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned report doesn’t come close to including the basics of an investigation as it leaves unclear who was responsible for what and how they performed. One might think a hospital with 24 patient deaths would warrant mention in the report, but The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospitals got a free pass.
Numerous internal investigations remain “unfinished”, including the CIA agent leak. The Pat Tillman shooting death is on its 5th 6th iteration. It went from an ambush to a shooting by friendly fire.
Yes, this is the group looking into Israel’s use of cluster bombs, the weapons that keeps on maiming and killing. Want to bet the recipient of $2.4 billion in military aid gets a free pass? My money’s on that. With a wider conflict with Iran on the books there will be no Reagan like ban on selling the Israeli’s such weapons for 6 years.
U.S. Defense manufacturers need to keep sending the green to Republican candidates for their re-election campaigns. Reducing their revenue stream would be an unsightly thing for corporate profits. Companies making cluster bombs in America include AeroJet, Alliant Tech Systems, General Dynamics, L-3 Communications, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Textron Defense Systems.
General Atomics and Dirty California Politicians
Just days ago State found the “private contractor” responsible for the explosion at a Louisiana military base licensed its technology from a division of General Atomics. In a fun game of the 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, I wondered how far I might have to go to find connections to “dirty politicians”.
It turned out not very far as GA donated regularly to the Randy "Duke" Cunningham campaign. This morning’s news indicates the dirty laundry to be much heavier than just "Randy Randy".
A receptionist in Rep. Jerry Lewis’ office parlayed her phone answering expertise into huge lobbying money from defense contractors. Admittedly she grew to the height of the Representative’s defense aide before joining a lobbying firm with another Lewis friend, ex. Rep. Bill Lowery.
Rep. Lewis is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The potential case of corruption is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s office. They’ve issued 10 subpoenas and reviewed financial disclosure statements.
Concerning details reported by the AP include:
During the year prior to her departure from Lewis' office, the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported, her income dropped by around $11,000, to just $80 below the $112,500 salary ceiling that would have triggered an automatic one-year ban on her lobbying of Lewis.
The day after leaving the Hill, on Jan. 9, 2003, White signed up a major client, General Atomics, along with one of its aeronautics subsidiaries. The companies received several multimillion-dollar earmarks that year in the defense spending bill for the 2004 fiscal year, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, including $3 million for General Atomics to provide anti-terror systems at Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, and $15.3 million for the aeronautics division to develop unmanned aerial vehicles.
Earmarks are funding inserted into legislation that often get little or no review. Prosecutors are scrutinizing Lewis' earmarks as part of the federal probe.
By the end of 2003, White had signed up about 15 more clients, mostly defense contractors, and was bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees. Her clients were enjoying similar success to General Atomics in getting earmarks. White, her husband lobbyist Richard White, and her firm's clients were donating generously to Lewis' fundraising committees.
During the 2004 election cycle, officials with General Atomics were the second-highest donors to Lewis' campaign committee, giving $18,000; another White client, Isothermal System Research, was third-highest, giving $14,000; and officials with Copeland, Lowery were fourth-highest, giving $13,250, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Tens of thousands more was donated to the political action committee Lewis used to spread campaign cash to other lawmakers as he gunned for the Appropriations Committee chairmanship.
This all happened on the Bush watch, where the incestuous relationships between government and industry rivals anything in history. Who wants to bet, the inquiry shows no illegal behavior? My money is on a clean bill for both the ex-receptionist and Rep. Jerry Lewis as they already have their Cunningham/Abramoff scapegoats. Now that would be comical!
P.S. Rep. Lewis’ top campaign supporter of all time is none other than General Atomics, coming in at nearly $80,000.
It turned out not very far as GA donated regularly to the Randy "Duke" Cunningham campaign. This morning’s news indicates the dirty laundry to be much heavier than just "Randy Randy".
A receptionist in Rep. Jerry Lewis’ office parlayed her phone answering expertise into huge lobbying money from defense contractors. Admittedly she grew to the height of the Representative’s defense aide before joining a lobbying firm with another Lewis friend, ex. Rep. Bill Lowery.
Rep. Lewis is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. The potential case of corruption is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s office. They’ve issued 10 subpoenas and reviewed financial disclosure statements.
Concerning details reported by the AP include:
During the year prior to her departure from Lewis' office, the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported, her income dropped by around $11,000, to just $80 below the $112,500 salary ceiling that would have triggered an automatic one-year ban on her lobbying of Lewis.
The day after leaving the Hill, on Jan. 9, 2003, White signed up a major client, General Atomics, along with one of its aeronautics subsidiaries. The companies received several multimillion-dollar earmarks that year in the defense spending bill for the 2004 fiscal year, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, including $3 million for General Atomics to provide anti-terror systems at Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, and $15.3 million for the aeronautics division to develop unmanned aerial vehicles.
Earmarks are funding inserted into legislation that often get little or no review. Prosecutors are scrutinizing Lewis' earmarks as part of the federal probe.
By the end of 2003, White had signed up about 15 more clients, mostly defense contractors, and was bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees. Her clients were enjoying similar success to General Atomics in getting earmarks. White, her husband lobbyist Richard White, and her firm's clients were donating generously to Lewis' fundraising committees.
During the 2004 election cycle, officials with General Atomics were the second-highest donors to Lewis' campaign committee, giving $18,000; another White client, Isothermal System Research, was third-highest, giving $14,000; and officials with Copeland, Lowery were fourth-highest, giving $13,250, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Tens of thousands more was donated to the political action committee Lewis used to spread campaign cash to other lawmakers as he gunned for the Appropriations Committee chairmanship.
This all happened on the Bush watch, where the incestuous relationships between government and industry rivals anything in history. Who wants to bet, the inquiry shows no illegal behavior? My money is on a clean bill for both the ex-receptionist and Rep. Jerry Lewis as they already have their Cunningham/Abramoff scapegoats. Now that would be comical!
P.S. Rep. Lewis’ top campaign supporter of all time is none other than General Atomics, coming in at nearly $80,000.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Anniversary of Bush’s Losing His Mantra & Street Cred
The one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina arrives next week. In an attempt to look anything other than flat footed for the second time, President Bush made the recovery the topic of his White House radio address.
Americans vividly recall the widespread human suffering, so poorly addressed by a President who left his vacation in Crawford early to “manage” the federal response. After weeks glued to the TV, the people knew deep down our leaders failed us. It broke our hearts and spirits to know something worse than 9-11 could be visited on American citizens through our leaders’ inattention and incompetence. The analogy that comes to mind is a physician treating a lost limb with a band aid.
The White House Lessons Learned report promised to fix that. Returning to the analogy, the report clearly describes the size of the wound, then brags about the heroism of the physician who applied of the band aid. Bush booted the job and his report is a cover up in more ways than one. How did The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospital where 24 patients died post Katrina not warrant one mention in the 300 page report? Which Pennsylvania Avenue address wrote the report?
Americans vividly recall the widespread human suffering, so poorly addressed by a President who left his vacation in Crawford early to “manage” the federal response. After weeks glued to the TV, the people knew deep down our leaders failed us. It broke our hearts and spirits to know something worse than 9-11 could be visited on American citizens through our leaders’ inattention and incompetence. The analogy that comes to mind is a physician treating a lost limb with a band aid.
The White House Lessons Learned report promised to fix that. Returning to the analogy, the report clearly describes the size of the wound, then brags about the heroism of the physician who applied of the band aid. Bush booted the job and his report is a cover up in more ways than one. How did The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospital where 24 patients died post Katrina not warrant one mention in the 300 page report? Which Pennsylvania Avenue address wrote the report?
The Rhetoric of War Accelerates Downhill
For intentional violence, death and destruction to be unleashed, there must be “good reasons”. This morning’s news filled with the rhetoric of war.
Hawk columnist Clifford May had this to say:
Allowing (an Iranian Islamic Superpower) to happen would represent a mistake of historic proportions, akin to enabling the rise of Hitler in the 1930’s……Should a fanatical, oil rich, nuclear armed, terrorist sponsoring superpower arise in the Middle East, the consequences would be dire.
Only a small percentage of Europeans are prepared to do what is necessary to resist tyranny. That leaves the problem for America to solve….To prevail in the current global conflict will be no cakewalk. It will require enormous determination, courage, energy and creativity. There will be casualties. There will be setbacks. Americans will not be loved. They will be reviled—not just by our enemies but also by those we seek to defend.
In the past Americans were up to such challenges. They refused to give up or to give into those they recognized as enemies of freedom. We will soon learn if the current generation is made of the same hardy stuff.
Clifford’s column not only points to the path of war, it greases it with a spirited pep rally. Go America!
Now, what hardy stuff do Americans need to undertake all out war against Iran? Do they need evidence of a threat, an imminent danger? This morning’s news delivered on this as well.
AP Headline: Defying U.N., Iran Opens Nuclear Reactor
This could lead one to believe, Iran has an operating nuclear reactor, one capable of producing material for a nuclear weapon without proper safeguards. Yet the article clearly states “the plant produces heavy water” and “Iran has been a building a heavy water reactor near the plant for two years, but the reactor is not scheduled for completion until 2009.”
How many Americans will skim the headlines, thinking Iranian nuclear weapons to be an immediate danger? Anyone recall Saddam’s searching for yellow cake? The skids are being greased for a roller coaster ride on the Iranian WhipAss, courtesy of Clifford May and the AP.
Once Americans link Ahmadinejad to Hitler, the bar comes down on the bench seat, the car leaves the gate via a catapult launch before crossing the Camel Back and executing a Cobra Roll. Watch out, there are no headrests on this baby, so hold on tight! The challenge will be getting our elected leaders to physically ride the coaster, they’ll just want to appropriate money. The wind might mess up their hair and an election is just around the corner!
My suggestion is save the American taxpayers money. Put Bush and Ahmadinejad in a room and don’t let them out until the issues are resolved, one way or another.
Hawk columnist Clifford May had this to say:
Allowing (an Iranian Islamic Superpower) to happen would represent a mistake of historic proportions, akin to enabling the rise of Hitler in the 1930’s……Should a fanatical, oil rich, nuclear armed, terrorist sponsoring superpower arise in the Middle East, the consequences would be dire.
Only a small percentage of Europeans are prepared to do what is necessary to resist tyranny. That leaves the problem for America to solve….To prevail in the current global conflict will be no cakewalk. It will require enormous determination, courage, energy and creativity. There will be casualties. There will be setbacks. Americans will not be loved. They will be reviled—not just by our enemies but also by those we seek to defend.
In the past Americans were up to such challenges. They refused to give up or to give into those they recognized as enemies of freedom. We will soon learn if the current generation is made of the same hardy stuff.
Clifford’s column not only points to the path of war, it greases it with a spirited pep rally. Go America!
Now, what hardy stuff do Americans need to undertake all out war against Iran? Do they need evidence of a threat, an imminent danger? This morning’s news delivered on this as well.
AP Headline: Defying U.N., Iran Opens Nuclear Reactor
This could lead one to believe, Iran has an operating nuclear reactor, one capable of producing material for a nuclear weapon without proper safeguards. Yet the article clearly states “the plant produces heavy water” and “Iran has been a building a heavy water reactor near the plant for two years, but the reactor is not scheduled for completion until 2009.”
How many Americans will skim the headlines, thinking Iranian nuclear weapons to be an immediate danger? Anyone recall Saddam’s searching for yellow cake? The skids are being greased for a roller coaster ride on the Iranian WhipAss, courtesy of Clifford May and the AP.
Once Americans link Ahmadinejad to Hitler, the bar comes down on the bench seat, the car leaves the gate via a catapult launch before crossing the Camel Back and executing a Cobra Roll. Watch out, there are no headrests on this baby, so hold on tight! The challenge will be getting our elected leaders to physically ride the coaster, they’ll just want to appropriate money. The wind might mess up their hair and an election is just around the corner!
My suggestion is save the American taxpayers money. Put Bush and Ahmadinejad in a room and don’t let them out until the issues are resolved, one way or another.
Friday, August 25, 2006
The Setup Continues
The news indicates a stepwise deterioration between the U.S. and Iran. Signficant developments this week include:
Bush’s wanting a rapid response to Iran’s refusal to cease uranium enrichment which includes clear consequences.
Israel’s impending delivery of two Dolphin subs capable of firing nuclear missiles virtually undetected
Twelve hundred British troops redeployed to Iraq’s border with Iran to “crack down on weapons smuggling”. Iraqi authorities complained the British departure caught them unaware.
Nukes over Iran's nuclear sites, coming soon...
The Bush/Ahmadinejad pathology almost guarantees it.
Bush’s wanting a rapid response to Iran’s refusal to cease uranium enrichment which includes clear consequences.
Israel’s impending delivery of two Dolphin subs capable of firing nuclear missiles virtually undetected
Twelve hundred British troops redeployed to Iraq’s border with Iran to “crack down on weapons smuggling”. Iraqi authorities complained the British departure caught them unaware.
Nukes over Iran's nuclear sites, coming soon...
The Bush/Ahmadinejad pathology almost guarantees it.
More Evidence of Government Industrial Monstrosity
One need not look far to find the sick intertwining of government and industry in America today. Defense, health care, hurricane recovery, education and Iraqi reconstruction are the most obvious offenders.
The data from Katrina reconstruction and Iraqi corruption by American companies shows the Bush mantra of “the always more efficient private sector” to be pure fiction.
The latest picture showing our elected leaders in bed with the private sector, comes courtesy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and America’s Pharmaceutical companies.
The pharmaceutical industry quietly footed the bill for at least part of a recent multimillion-dollar ad campaign praising lawmakers who support the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to political officials.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims credit for the ads, although a spokesman refused repeatedly to say whether it had received any funds from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
The officials who described PhRMA's involvement said they did not know whether the industry had given the Chamber money to cover the entire cost of the ads and other elements of an election-year voter mobilization effort, or merely a portion.
It turns out those ads “purchased” by the Chamber for Republican incumbents, had a silent sponsor. In the trade this would be known as a three way.
It’s time to show the American people to going’s on under the sheets. Hopefully, this will result in electing leaders capable of serving the people.
The data from Katrina reconstruction and Iraqi corruption by American companies shows the Bush mantra of “the always more efficient private sector” to be pure fiction.
The latest picture showing our elected leaders in bed with the private sector, comes courtesy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and America’s Pharmaceutical companies.
The pharmaceutical industry quietly footed the bill for at least part of a recent multimillion-dollar ad campaign praising lawmakers who support the new Medicare prescription drug benefit, according to political officials.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce claims credit for the ads, although a spokesman refused repeatedly to say whether it had received any funds from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.
The officials who described PhRMA's involvement said they did not know whether the industry had given the Chamber money to cover the entire cost of the ads and other elements of an election-year voter mobilization effort, or merely a portion.
It turns out those ads “purchased” by the Chamber for Republican incumbents, had a silent sponsor. In the trade this would be known as a three way.
It’s time to show the American people to going’s on under the sheets. Hopefully, this will result in electing leaders capable of serving the people.
“No Countries Left Un-Nukular”, New Signature Bush Program
Building on the President’s pioneering education initiative the administration formally announced its new standards for international military credibility. “No Child Left Behind” set minimum standards for school systems with a high school education the bar. It prepares the student for any further achievement, college level on up.
“No Countries Left Un-Nukular” recognizes the bar for international respect and credibility lies in a powerful offensive deterrence. It encourages all countries to develop nuclear weapons via two contrasting methods. In one, the U.S. gives full support to countries violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. India and Israel come to mind. Israel will soon receive two German Dolphin subs capable of launching nuclear weapons virtually undetected.
The other strategy is to call countries names, deride their leaders as evil and pathological until they embark on a program to level the weapons of mass destruction playing field. Iran and North Korea fit in this category.
In an odd twist Israel's new subs may just launch the nuclear weapons intended to destroy Iran's fledgling nuclear capability. It could be one big radioactive party.
But the United States having already excelled at the “Nukular” game is elevating the stakes via Space Weapons. By setting a new bar, a higher standard America will be in a position to launch a future program encouraging all countries to invest in methods of war. It could be called “No Space Left Un-Weaponized”.
“No Countries Left Un-Nukular” recognizes the bar for international respect and credibility lies in a powerful offensive deterrence. It encourages all countries to develop nuclear weapons via two contrasting methods. In one, the U.S. gives full support to countries violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. India and Israel come to mind. Israel will soon receive two German Dolphin subs capable of launching nuclear weapons virtually undetected.
The other strategy is to call countries names, deride their leaders as evil and pathological until they embark on a program to level the weapons of mass destruction playing field. Iran and North Korea fit in this category.
In an odd twist Israel's new subs may just launch the nuclear weapons intended to destroy Iran's fledgling nuclear capability. It could be one big radioactive party.
But the United States having already excelled at the “Nukular” game is elevating the stakes via Space Weapons. By setting a new bar, a higher standard America will be in a position to launch a future program encouraging all countries to invest in methods of war. It could be called “No Space Left Un-Weaponized”.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
The Escalation Continues as Israel Buys Subs to Launch Nukes
The news reported that Israel will soon have two new nuclear capable submarines. As President Bush said, “the best defense is a good offense” and “what good is an offense if it remains unused”. Not only that terrorists need to be fought “over there” so they won’t make it “over here”. Put all that together and the world is in deep nuclear trouble.
Iran wants nuclear technology to produce power. Their obstinate, pathological leader refuses to work with the international community on his stated aim.
On the other side of the fence are more obstinate, pathological leaders. The United States and Israel have significant nuclear weapon capabilities although Israel hides theirs behind a policy of “nuclear ambiguity”.
The contract to buy the two German made Dolphin submarines was signed July 6th. Germany is picking up 1/3 of the $1.3 billion cost. The German taxpayers just forked over $433 million in taxpayer money for weapons. This pales to U.S. military assistance for Israel in the neighborhood of $2.4 billion.
Less than a week after inking the deal, Israel launched its all out war on Lebanon. One might think adding nuclear capabilities to the region in a time of war to be unwise, unless there is a plan to use such a capacity in the near future? The subs will be delivered "shortly".
A clear message is being sent to President Ahmadinejad. Is he so pathological he cannot see or hear it? His counterpart in the United States has shown his blindness and deafness on numerous issues.
As Gandhi said “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. Well folks, that appears to be where our leaders wish to take us. Stop the planet so we can get off….
Iran wants nuclear technology to produce power. Their obstinate, pathological leader refuses to work with the international community on his stated aim.
On the other side of the fence are more obstinate, pathological leaders. The United States and Israel have significant nuclear weapon capabilities although Israel hides theirs behind a policy of “nuclear ambiguity”.
The contract to buy the two German made Dolphin submarines was signed July 6th. Germany is picking up 1/3 of the $1.3 billion cost. The German taxpayers just forked over $433 million in taxpayer money for weapons. This pales to U.S. military assistance for Israel in the neighborhood of $2.4 billion.
Less than a week after inking the deal, Israel launched its all out war on Lebanon. One might think adding nuclear capabilities to the region in a time of war to be unwise, unless there is a plan to use such a capacity in the near future? The subs will be delivered "shortly".
A clear message is being sent to President Ahmadinejad. Is he so pathological he cannot see or hear it? His counterpart in the United States has shown his blindness and deafness on numerous issues.
As Gandhi said “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. Well folks, that appears to be where our leaders wish to take us. Stop the planet so we can get off….
Explo Systems, Inc. 3 Steps Away from Duke Cunningham, How Close to Carlyle Group?
An explosion occurred at a Louisiana military base today requiring the evacuation of nearby schools. The contractor charged with safely dismantling military ordinance is Explo Systems, Inc. Information on the company is not widely available as it’s privately held. However, a small town newspaper ran an article about the facility’s open house. Another site listed the square footage the company leases at 237,257 sq. ft.
Otherwise, not much information is available online. Which defense oriented investment house owns this corporation is not yet clear.
However, Explo Systems does license its bomb dismantling technology from a German company, wholly owned by General Atomics, based in San Diego.
The General Atomics donation record to Randy Duke Cunningham is clear.
2004 $10,000
2002 $10,000
2000 No record
1998 $10,000
Did you note Randy’s biggest contributor the 2002 election cycle? It was none other than The Carlyle Group at $23,300.
In 2000 Carlyle gave $5,500 to "Randy Randy". That same election year Carlyle donated nearly $500,000 with 85% going to Republican candidates.
What will come out about this company in light of the incident? If privately held management controls the media, then the public would see very little information.
For the unaware, the aforementioned Carlyle Group made several big forays into the world media market in June. Carlyle is part of a group that purchased VNU, a huge worldwide media company based in New York and the Netherlands. They just hired General Electric’s Vice Chair to work for the company. Carlyle also acquired a stake in Global Media, a web marketing company.
Would anyone like to bet, no bad news regarding any Carlyle Affiliate will hit the stands via VNU or Global Media? They managed to keep their 24 patient deaths in their LifeCare affiliate’s New Orlean's hospital out of the White House Lessons Learned report. That likely relates more to the nearly $500,000 in 2000 campaign donations and Bush Sr.’s past employment by Carlyle than to any media influence.
The question concerning Americans should be, how will the public get the real answers given the incestuous money/relationship ties between the Bush administration and scores of government contractors?
VNU, NV is a leading global marketing information and media company providing "must have" information and industry expertise daily to professionals across the world.
Given Carlyle’s description of VNU, I don’t believe such information would be considered “must have”.
Otherwise, not much information is available online. Which defense oriented investment house owns this corporation is not yet clear.
However, Explo Systems does license its bomb dismantling technology from a German company, wholly owned by General Atomics, based in San Diego.
The General Atomics donation record to Randy Duke Cunningham is clear.
2004 $10,000
2002 $10,000
2000 No record
1998 $10,000
Did you note Randy’s biggest contributor the 2002 election cycle? It was none other than The Carlyle Group at $23,300.
In 2000 Carlyle gave $5,500 to "Randy Randy". That same election year Carlyle donated nearly $500,000 with 85% going to Republican candidates.
What will come out about this company in light of the incident? If privately held management controls the media, then the public would see very little information.
For the unaware, the aforementioned Carlyle Group made several big forays into the world media market in June. Carlyle is part of a group that purchased VNU, a huge worldwide media company based in New York and the Netherlands. They just hired General Electric’s Vice Chair to work for the company. Carlyle also acquired a stake in Global Media, a web marketing company.
Would anyone like to bet, no bad news regarding any Carlyle Affiliate will hit the stands via VNU or Global Media? They managed to keep their 24 patient deaths in their LifeCare affiliate’s New Orlean's hospital out of the White House Lessons Learned report. That likely relates more to the nearly $500,000 in 2000 campaign donations and Bush Sr.’s past employment by Carlyle than to any media influence.
The question concerning Americans should be, how will the public get the real answers given the incestuous money/relationship ties between the Bush administration and scores of government contractors?
VNU, NV is a leading global marketing information and media company providing "must have" information and industry expertise daily to professionals across the world.
Given Carlyle’s description of VNU, I don’t believe such information would be considered “must have”.
Diplomats Leak to AP, Iranian Proposal DOA
The conflict escalates between Western world powers and Iran over nuclear technology. Diplomats from two European capitals suggest the six nations comprising the Security Council will reject the Iranian response as it includes no cessation of uranium enrichment.
The diplomats asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the confidential Iranian proposal.
Does anyone else find it odd that career diplomats are leaking information, unless they have been instructed to do so? Welcome to the War of the Words, soon to escalate to the War of the Worlds (if the U.S. and Iranian pathological Presidents get their way).
The diplomats asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the confidential Iranian proposal.
Does anyone else find it odd that career diplomats are leaking information, unless they have been instructed to do so? Welcome to the War of the Words, soon to escalate to the War of the Worlds (if the U.S. and Iranian pathological Presidents get their way).
Bush’s “Just Wait” Retort on Iraqi Democracy Rings Hollow
At last month’s G-8 meeting President George Bush told barb throwing Russian President Vladmir Putin to “just wait” and see the shining democracy of Iraq. The latest statistics reveal significant trouble in the fledgling democracy. Inflation in July rose to 70% when compared to prior year prices. Combined with unemployment up to 50%, Iraq suffers from stagflation, a serious economic malady.
Afghanistan suffers from high unemployment as well, nearly 40%. While both democracies are young, neither appears capable of providing a means for people to make a living. What plans are in place to address these dire conditions?
Afghanistan suffers from high unemployment as well, nearly 40%. While both democracies are young, neither appears capable of providing a means for people to make a living. What plans are in place to address these dire conditions?
Bumbling Medicare to Drive Health Care Quality Improvement?
The Bush team continues its fumbling ways as a government operator. Just days ago President Bush issued an Executive Order requiring the government to produce price and quality data. It charged several government departments including Health & Human Services to “develop and identify practices that promote high quality health care”. As Medicare and Medicaid insure nearly 80 million people in the U.S., one might expect their operations to be examples of high quality government operations.
Many health care providers will have to make do next month without a government paycheck or two. The Bush administration says it will not make any Medicare reimbursements to hospitals, doctors and scores of other providers during the last nine days of the current budget year, from Sept. 22-30. By delaying payments, the government moves $5.2 billion in Medicare expenses to next year's budget, rather than the current one.
In a shell game the federal government with Congressional approval is pushing their bills into the next fiscal year. Is this a sign of a quality operation? It gets better.
The federal government erroneously has reimbursed about 230,000 Medicare recipients for monthly premiums they paid this year for prescription drug coverage. For many, the checks - totaling nearly $50 million - have already arrived.
The refund will undoubtedly cause confusion, particularly because it comes with a letter that mistakenly instructs older people that their monthly premiums will no longer be deducted from their Social Security check.
Mark McClellan, who oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said people who get the check need to know two things. One, the money has to be returned. Two, their prescription drug coverage will continue.
"It's very important for people to know their coverage is continuing," he said. "There's no disruption at all."
Medicare officials say they caught the glitch just after the checks were sent out last week. As a result, they sent a second letter Tuesday letting people know about the problem. The average overpayment comes to about $215.
In many cases, older people get their Social Security payment through direct deposit. They, too, should set the extra money aside and not use it for other purposes because the payment will have to be returned, officials said.
How much will this “glitch” cost? Had someone made such an expensive error in private industry, what would be the consequences?
McClellan said his agency will make sure that insurers who administer the new drug benefit continue to get paid for the beneficiaries caught up in the error. He said that his agency was responsible for the error and that the subsequent letter contains an apology.
I wonder what systems exist in the Bush administration to prevent errors in the first place? This significant botch is certainly not the first in Bush’s term in office. While it pales compared to the $8 billion unaccounted for in the rebuilding of Iraq, it's important as Medicare is one of the government groups collaborating on improving quality of health care for Americans.
A key part of the Bush plan involves “pay for performance”. According to Family Practice Management the data for this initiative is not in the solid win category.
Virtually all major payers, including Medicare, are piloting pay for performance programs and will soon be measuring physician performance and offering financial incentives to those who meet quality targets. Although early results of these programs were not entirely positive, and although much debate surrounds this movement, there are no signs of a slowdown.
Yes America, the Bush cabal will bring his deft bull in a china shop touch to our health care system. While it badly needs improvement, the Bush prescription will be lucky to be a placebo. It just might have life threatening side effects.
Many health care providers will have to make do next month without a government paycheck or two. The Bush administration says it will not make any Medicare reimbursements to hospitals, doctors and scores of other providers during the last nine days of the current budget year, from Sept. 22-30. By delaying payments, the government moves $5.2 billion in Medicare expenses to next year's budget, rather than the current one.
In a shell game the federal government with Congressional approval is pushing their bills into the next fiscal year. Is this a sign of a quality operation? It gets better.
The federal government erroneously has reimbursed about 230,000 Medicare recipients for monthly premiums they paid this year for prescription drug coverage. For many, the checks - totaling nearly $50 million - have already arrived.
The refund will undoubtedly cause confusion, particularly because it comes with a letter that mistakenly instructs older people that their monthly premiums will no longer be deducted from their Social Security check.
Mark McClellan, who oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said people who get the check need to know two things. One, the money has to be returned. Two, their prescription drug coverage will continue.
"It's very important for people to know their coverage is continuing," he said. "There's no disruption at all."
Medicare officials say they caught the glitch just after the checks were sent out last week. As a result, they sent a second letter Tuesday letting people know about the problem. The average overpayment comes to about $215.
In many cases, older people get their Social Security payment through direct deposit. They, too, should set the extra money aside and not use it for other purposes because the payment will have to be returned, officials said.
How much will this “glitch” cost? Had someone made such an expensive error in private industry, what would be the consequences?
McClellan said his agency will make sure that insurers who administer the new drug benefit continue to get paid for the beneficiaries caught up in the error. He said that his agency was responsible for the error and that the subsequent letter contains an apology.
I wonder what systems exist in the Bush administration to prevent errors in the first place? This significant botch is certainly not the first in Bush’s term in office. While it pales compared to the $8 billion unaccounted for in the rebuilding of Iraq, it's important as Medicare is one of the government groups collaborating on improving quality of health care for Americans.
A key part of the Bush plan involves “pay for performance”. According to Family Practice Management the data for this initiative is not in the solid win category.
Virtually all major payers, including Medicare, are piloting pay for performance programs and will soon be measuring physician performance and offering financial incentives to those who meet quality targets. Although early results of these programs were not entirely positive, and although much debate surrounds this movement, there are no signs of a slowdown.
Yes America, the Bush cabal will bring his deft bull in a china shop touch to our health care system. While it badly needs improvement, the Bush prescription will be lucky to be a placebo. It just might have life threatening side effects.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
New Real World “Survivor” Segregated by Race
The latest edition of survivor will break teams up by race. Five Latinos, Whites, African Americans and Asians will compete against each other. All survived grueling pre-screening tests to be selected.
The Latinos competed in Survivor: Other Than Mexican, sponsored the U.S. Border Patrol. Non Mexicans apprehended near the border are driven 200 miles into the U.S. dropped off at a bus station and told to be in federal court another 300 miles away in 3 months. The best inner city illegal immigrant survivors made it on the Latino team.
The African Americans selected excelled last summer in Survivor: Hurricane Katrina. They came from a pool of hundreds of thousands poor blacks displaced by the storm.
The Whites all come from Survivor: Holler Style. Based in West Virginia the candidates all survived coal mine disasters. Some credit their being chosen to quick thinking, fast feet and others to portable oxygen.
The Asians come from a number of Pacific countries impacted by the December 2004 tsunami. Survivor: Tsunami winners all excelled at swimming and holding their breath for long periods of time underwater.
Had the show chosen to add an Arab component, it could choose from Survivor: Iraq or Survivor: Lebanon. However, these candidates have some physical limitations due to lack of electricity, safe food, clean water, medical care and drugs.
Anyone who actually thinks this is a good idea would like Survivor: Republican vs. Democrat or Survivor: Rich vs. Poor. As if our country needs another artificial competition based on divisive classifications?
The Latinos competed in Survivor: Other Than Mexican, sponsored the U.S. Border Patrol. Non Mexicans apprehended near the border are driven 200 miles into the U.S. dropped off at a bus station and told to be in federal court another 300 miles away in 3 months. The best inner city illegal immigrant survivors made it on the Latino team.
The African Americans selected excelled last summer in Survivor: Hurricane Katrina. They came from a pool of hundreds of thousands poor blacks displaced by the storm.
The Whites all come from Survivor: Holler Style. Based in West Virginia the candidates all survived coal mine disasters. Some credit their being chosen to quick thinking, fast feet and others to portable oxygen.
The Asians come from a number of Pacific countries impacted by the December 2004 tsunami. Survivor: Tsunami winners all excelled at swimming and holding their breath for long periods of time underwater.
Had the show chosen to add an Arab component, it could choose from Survivor: Iraq or Survivor: Lebanon. However, these candidates have some physical limitations due to lack of electricity, safe food, clean water, medical care and drugs.
Anyone who actually thinks this is a good idea would like Survivor: Republican vs. Democrat or Survivor: Rich vs. Poor. As if our country needs another artificial competition based on divisive classifications?
Iran Threat Language Growing Broader than Nukes
As the clock ticks down to the U.N. Security Council deadline, the Bush administration indicates it will give serious consideration to Iran’s response. Meanwhile the House Intelligence Committee had this to say about Iran.
The House Intelligence Committee, meanwhile, issued a report that concluded Iran was a strategic threat and a country focused on developing nuclear weapons capability. It also linked Iran to Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups.
"Iran's support of radical Islamists with weapons and money demonstrates in real terms the danger it poses to America and our allies," said the committee's chairman, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich. He said Iran "will not be satisfied until it poses a threat to the entire world."
Who provides the Intelligence Committee with information? The Executive Branch via its National Director of Intelligence.
What else did the report say?
The report also found gaps in the ability of U.S. intelligence agencies to keep up with developments in Iran's nuclear program and suggested hiring more intelligence agents who speak Farsi.
Is this the CYA in case the assessment is later found to be incorrect? It sounds hauntingly familiar and the last case turned into “Shock & Awe”. Will round 2 be of the nuclear kind? If it doesn’t completely take out the bunkers, the leftover hot zone could make the area less desirable for re-use.
If they’re not stopped, they will be a threat to the entire world….
Now who really is the “they”?
The House Intelligence Committee, meanwhile, issued a report that concluded Iran was a strategic threat and a country focused on developing nuclear weapons capability. It also linked Iran to Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups.
"Iran's support of radical Islamists with weapons and money demonstrates in real terms the danger it poses to America and our allies," said the committee's chairman, Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich. He said Iran "will not be satisfied until it poses a threat to the entire world."
Who provides the Intelligence Committee with information? The Executive Branch via its National Director of Intelligence.
What else did the report say?
The report also found gaps in the ability of U.S. intelligence agencies to keep up with developments in Iran's nuclear program and suggested hiring more intelligence agents who speak Farsi.
Is this the CYA in case the assessment is later found to be incorrect? It sounds hauntingly familiar and the last case turned into “Shock & Awe”. Will round 2 be of the nuclear kind? If it doesn’t completely take out the bunkers, the leftover hot zone could make the area less desirable for re-use.
If they’re not stopped, they will be a threat to the entire world….
Now who really is the “they”?
McCain Slams Bush’s Iraq
The AP went soft in its byline on Senator McCain’s faulting the Bush administration on Iraq. It said:
Sen. McCain Faults Bush Administration for Not Better Managing Public's Expectations in Iraq
A closer review of the piece indicates McCain said much more.
"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required," McCain said. "Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I'm just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be."
The Bush team had the wrong intelligence, strategy and execution. The deteriorating situation indicates this continues to be the case. It’s not just a matter of managing public expectations, the Bush team is legendary for its ability to craft messages.
Is Senator McCain implying the administration knew the difficulty, the sacrifices required and was not honest with the American people? The Saudi foreign minister predicted invading Iraq would result in sectarian violence and destabilize the region. Bush obviously discounted his advice by invading anyway, but did he do so cognizant of the costs?
From McCain’s words I could conclude the Bush administration is manipulative and/or incompetent. Given his track record elsewhere, that is not all that surprising.
Sen. McCain Faults Bush Administration for Not Better Managing Public's Expectations in Iraq
A closer review of the piece indicates McCain said much more.
"I think one of the biggest mistakes we made was underestimating the size of the task and the sacrifices that would be required," McCain said. "Stuff happens, mission accomplished, last throes, a few dead-enders. I'm just more familiar with those statements than anyone else because it grieves me so much that we had not told the American people how tough and difficult this task would be."
The Bush team had the wrong intelligence, strategy and execution. The deteriorating situation indicates this continues to be the case. It’s not just a matter of managing public expectations, the Bush team is legendary for its ability to craft messages.
Is Senator McCain implying the administration knew the difficulty, the sacrifices required and was not honest with the American people? The Saudi foreign minister predicted invading Iraq would result in sectarian violence and destabilize the region. Bush obviously discounted his advice by invading anyway, but did he do so cognizant of the costs?
From McCain’s words I could conclude the Bush administration is manipulative and/or incompetent. Given his track record elsewhere, that is not all that surprising.
Improve the Tone & Discourse: Everybody?
President Bush agreed to stump for cash for fellow Republican Senator George Allen despite his racial slur to a fellow Wahoo from the University of Virginia. Allen called the Virginia born and raised 4th year student of Indian descent, “Macaca”. He also welcomed him to America some 20 years late.
The White House in defending Bush's hand holding with the “Macaca” thrower had this to say:
"Senator Allen apologized," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. "And I think it's in everyone's best interest, in this day and age of politics when everyone is trying to improve the tone and discourse, to accept apologies when they're offered."
Now that’s a laugher! Will Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart pick this one up first? And who will they fade in and out in the background, with what quote? Will it be V.P. Dick Cheney saying Democrats issue American Greetings invites to terrorists with a time and date for an Open House? Or will it be President Bush delivering expletive deleteds on foreign policy while talking with his mouth full courtesy of the G-8 bakery chef?
The White House in defending Bush's hand holding with the “Macaca” thrower had this to say:
"Senator Allen apologized," said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. "And I think it's in everyone's best interest, in this day and age of politics when everyone is trying to improve the tone and discourse, to accept apologies when they're offered."
Now that’s a laugher! Will Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart pick this one up first? And who will they fade in and out in the background, with what quote? Will it be V.P. Dick Cheney saying Democrats issue American Greetings invites to terrorists with a time and date for an Open House? Or will it be President Bush delivering expletive deleteds on foreign policy while talking with his mouth full courtesy of the G-8 bakery chef?
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Bush to BUBAR Health Care
Fresh from BUBAR-ing education and the Middle East, President Bush turns his attention to health care. BUBAR stands for “Bushed Up Beyond All Recognition”.
With America’s health care system firmly in his sights, President Bush unleashed an Executive Order to make health care more transparent. That would be the cost an individual citizen pays, as both employers and the feds reduce their share.
During the Bush term the number of uninsured increased by over 6.8 million people. With new data due out soon, might the number grow to over 8 million additional uninsureds under the Bushwatch?
The President’s signature “No Child Left Behind” program turned into a profit windfall for education testing companies. Kaplan’s revenue grew exponentially fueled by the Bush testing maelstrom.
His Executive Order sets up the same profit making scenario for health insurance companies. They have the data that will be compiled and sold in the new health care cost/quality information business.
In Bushworld the individual consumer has more power than the government with its nearly 80 million covered lives to “negotiate prices”. With 2-3 million covered by High Deductible Health plans ready to bargain on price, who thinks physician behavior will flip anytime soon?
Secretary of Health and Human Services had this to say, "It will fuel a substantial amount of change in the way health care is ultimately purchased, but it will take time for that to unfold."
Yes, change is coming America, and watch your billfold….
For the Executive Order and my comments (in parenthesis) see below:
The order directs the agencies to:
_Use, where available, health information computer systems that talk to each other. That way, the health records of a veteran living in Maine can be viewed by a doctor working in California if the veteran needs emergency care there during a vacation. (Increase business for electronic medical record companies and those who write interfaces across systems)
_Enact programs that measure the quality of care, and develop those measures with the private sector and other government agencies. (note the private sector, the feds will contract this out, likely to a Bush friend like The Carlyle Group's Multiplan)
_Make available to beneficiaries the prices that agencies pay for common procedures. (The feds already have this data, but they will likely pay someone to compile and share it.)
_Develop and identify practices that promote high-quality health care. (Poorly defined measures, strict focus on outcome, incentive pay, competition, pay for performance will all contribute to the continued sub-optimization of America’s health care system)
"We're all about being cost-conscious," said Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. "It's just the American way. We clip coupons. We check for bargain flights on the Web. We carefully research major purchases. But when it comes to health care, we lack the tools to compare either quality or the costs." (The government already has many of the tools, but they want to get out of the paying business. To shift the responsibility for payment they need to shift the responsibility for purchase. America’s employers are not stepping up to fill the gap, thus it falls to the average citizen.)
Why didn’t Sec. Leavitt mention people scrimping for gas money? Next chunk out the pocketbook?
The Bush Health Care Plan, otherwise knows as “You Are On Your Own!”
With America’s health care system firmly in his sights, President Bush unleashed an Executive Order to make health care more transparent. That would be the cost an individual citizen pays, as both employers and the feds reduce their share.
During the Bush term the number of uninsured increased by over 6.8 million people. With new data due out soon, might the number grow to over 8 million additional uninsureds under the Bushwatch?
The President’s signature “No Child Left Behind” program turned into a profit windfall for education testing companies. Kaplan’s revenue grew exponentially fueled by the Bush testing maelstrom.
His Executive Order sets up the same profit making scenario for health insurance companies. They have the data that will be compiled and sold in the new health care cost/quality information business.
In Bushworld the individual consumer has more power than the government with its nearly 80 million covered lives to “negotiate prices”. With 2-3 million covered by High Deductible Health plans ready to bargain on price, who thinks physician behavior will flip anytime soon?
Secretary of Health and Human Services had this to say, "It will fuel a substantial amount of change in the way health care is ultimately purchased, but it will take time for that to unfold."
Yes, change is coming America, and watch your billfold….
For the Executive Order and my comments (in parenthesis) see below:
The order directs the agencies to:
_Use, where available, health information computer systems that talk to each other. That way, the health records of a veteran living in Maine can be viewed by a doctor working in California if the veteran needs emergency care there during a vacation. (Increase business for electronic medical record companies and those who write interfaces across systems)
_Enact programs that measure the quality of care, and develop those measures with the private sector and other government agencies. (note the private sector, the feds will contract this out, likely to a Bush friend like The Carlyle Group's Multiplan)
_Make available to beneficiaries the prices that agencies pay for common procedures. (The feds already have this data, but they will likely pay someone to compile and share it.)
_Develop and identify practices that promote high-quality health care. (Poorly defined measures, strict focus on outcome, incentive pay, competition, pay for performance will all contribute to the continued sub-optimization of America’s health care system)
"We're all about being cost-conscious," said Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. "It's just the American way. We clip coupons. We check for bargain flights on the Web. We carefully research major purchases. But when it comes to health care, we lack the tools to compare either quality or the costs." (The government already has many of the tools, but they want to get out of the paying business. To shift the responsibility for payment they need to shift the responsibility for purchase. America’s employers are not stepping up to fill the gap, thus it falls to the average citizen.)
Why didn’t Sec. Leavitt mention people scrimping for gas money? Next chunk out the pocketbook?
The Bush Health Care Plan, otherwise knows as “You Are On Your Own!”
Bush’s Brain Strain
The President’s chief medical advisor is currently treating George W. Bush for a major brain strain. The President himself noted the problem after referring to Iran as Iraq in yesterday’s White House Press Conference. He blamed it on “a strained psyche”.
Bush opened the show with his usual banter but in doing so may have pulled something besides a reporter’s leg.
Fancy digs you got here.
Later in the program he commented on his psyche, the strain evident in his voice.
Frustrated? Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy. This is -- but war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times, and they're difficult times, and they're straining the psyche of our country. I understand that.
Reporters recall hearing a loud pop when the President said the following:
The final history in the region has yet to be written.
It is believed his injury occurred at that moment. The President needs to heal quickly from this medical malady as the confrontation with Iran escalates. In the press conference President Bush used these words to describe the nuclear technology issue with Iran.
The dates -- dates are fine, but what really matters is will…..In order for the U.N. to be effective, there must be consequences if people thumb their nose at the United Nations Security Council.
For the U.S. Presidency to enter such difficult waters, he needs to run on all cylinders, to have all his faculties. Pray for our President that he heals quickly from his latest disorder.
Bush opened the show with his usual banter but in doing so may have pulled something besides a reporter’s leg.
Fancy digs you got here.
Later in the program he commented on his psyche, the strain evident in his voice.
Frustrated? Sometimes I'm frustrated. Rarely surprised. Sometimes I'm happy. This is -- but war is not a time of joy. These aren't joyous times. These are challenging times, and they're difficult times, and they're straining the psyche of our country. I understand that.
Reporters recall hearing a loud pop when the President said the following:
The final history in the region has yet to be written.
It is believed his injury occurred at that moment. The President needs to heal quickly from this medical malady as the confrontation with Iran escalates. In the press conference President Bush used these words to describe the nuclear technology issue with Iran.
The dates -- dates are fine, but what really matters is will…..In order for the U.N. to be effective, there must be consequences if people thumb their nose at the United Nations Security Council.
For the U.S. Presidency to enter such difficult waters, he needs to run on all cylinders, to have all his faculties. Pray for our President that he heals quickly from his latest disorder.
Bumbler in Chief, Turns Fumbler in Chief
President Bush’s handlers worked hard to spin his recent series of gaffes by “noting Bush’s informal style”. The President’s bumbling at the G-8 conference ranged from an impromptu shoulder rub for German P.M Angela Merkel to his unleashing a four letter word which he chased down with a hot buttered roll while continuing the conversation mouth full.
So how are the White House message boys spinning the Bush faux pas?
Informality can be a sign of a special rapport between leaders.
Special rapport? Angela cringed as if hot oil had been poured down her back under Bush’s magic fingers. Tony Blair looked like Lenny’s handler in the Grapes of Wrath. Instead of a cute mouse, the lives in play involved millions in Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel. Not only did George plan with his buddy Olmert to kill the mouse, they left Tony to lead the clean up.
Here’s how good the Fumbler in Chief is. Without any foreign dignitaries, all alone on the podium in front of the press President Bush said yesterday:
And one of the things I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iraq.
Does the President’s informality extend to calling any country in the region by a cute nickname? He meant Iran but he said Iraq. Sure, innocent mistakes can be made, but in the past the White House website would not such a thing in parenthesis (Correction: the President meant to say ____). How did this latest fumble get translated?
And one of the things I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Those spinners must work overtime finding and correcting the U.S. President’s bloopers. To think they won’t get a break until January 2009. That is one American job that is secure.
So how are the White House message boys spinning the Bush faux pas?
Informality can be a sign of a special rapport between leaders.
Special rapport? Angela cringed as if hot oil had been poured down her back under Bush’s magic fingers. Tony Blair looked like Lenny’s handler in the Grapes of Wrath. Instead of a cute mouse, the lives in play involved millions in Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel. Not only did George plan with his buddy Olmert to kill the mouse, they left Tony to lead the clean up.
Here’s how good the Fumbler in Chief is. Without any foreign dignitaries, all alone on the podium in front of the press President Bush said yesterday:
And one of the things I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iraq.
Does the President’s informality extend to calling any country in the region by a cute nickname? He meant Iran but he said Iraq. Sure, innocent mistakes can be made, but in the past the White House website would not such a thing in parenthesis (Correction: the President meant to say ____). How did this latest fumble get translated?
And one of the things I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iran.
Those spinners must work overtime finding and correcting the U.S. President’s bloopers. To think they won’t get a break until January 2009. That is one American job that is secure.
Monday, August 21, 2006
BLOATS: Short for Bush’s Leading Quotes
This week the President pulled out his best pitches. With an election but months away, it’s time to hurl heat and this President (like his father) knows how to hurl!
“if we ever give up the desire to help people who live in freedom, we will have lost our soul as a nation, as far as I'm concerned."
Note: only desire is needed, competent execution is unnecessary.
"War is not a time of joy”
Note: Please ignore any premature “Mission’s Accomplished” and any jokes where the President searches for weapons of mass destruction under a podium.
A failed Iraq would provide a safe haven for terrorists and extremists and give them revenue from oil sales.
Note: Fundamentalist Islamists would likely shut out Western Oil companies, one of the major reasons the U.S. invaded Iraq. No way will Bush give up this franchise.
I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iraq. (from the AP transcript)
Note: The President said Iraq while answering a question on Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons. The audiotape on the White House website clearly shows the President saying Iraq, yet their transcript shows Iran. Don’t tell me there is more yellow cake from Niger?
Will we have lost our soul as a nation when our President regularly lies to the people?
“if we ever give up the desire to help people who live in freedom, we will have lost our soul as a nation, as far as I'm concerned."
Note: only desire is needed, competent execution is unnecessary.
"War is not a time of joy”
Note: Please ignore any premature “Mission’s Accomplished” and any jokes where the President searches for weapons of mass destruction under a podium.
A failed Iraq would provide a safe haven for terrorists and extremists and give them revenue from oil sales.
Note: Fundamentalist Islamists would likely shut out Western Oil companies, one of the major reasons the U.S. invaded Iraq. No way will Bush give up this franchise.
I will continue to remind our friends and allies is the danger of a nuclear-armed Iraq. (from the AP transcript)
Note: The President said Iraq while answering a question on Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons. The audiotape on the White House website clearly shows the President saying Iraq, yet their transcript shows Iran. Don’t tell me there is more yellow cake from Niger?
Will we have lost our soul as a nation when our President regularly lies to the people?
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Bush Presses War as He Wants One More?
In his radio address Bush praised the stellar results of all out war on defeating terror. He held Iraq and Lebanon high, showing them off for all to see. As the world recoiled in horror, Bush held up the damaged and deformed countries like a proud new papa. Unfortunately the father either caused the children’s condition or failed to stop the abuse.
A step child lingered nearby, the more successful strategy of investigation, surveillance and intelligence. It remained in the background for most of the radio talk despite its resounding success in foiling a British air travel plot.
Why would the President show off all out war, bragging of its critical role in defeating terrorism? Is it because he wants one more?
Iran is looking an awful lot like 2002 Iraq with a U.N. resolution to cut out nuclear technology which could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The U.S. wants to turn up the heat ASAP in early September, likely wanting a cease “or else” clause somewhere in the mix.
The coalition of the willing is clear, the United States, Britain and Israel. As Tony Blair warned the people in the Middle East, get ready for some Western ideals.
A step child lingered nearby, the more successful strategy of investigation, surveillance and intelligence. It remained in the background for most of the radio talk despite its resounding success in foiling a British air travel plot.
Why would the President show off all out war, bragging of its critical role in defeating terrorism? Is it because he wants one more?
Iran is looking an awful lot like 2002 Iraq with a U.N. resolution to cut out nuclear technology which could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction. The U.S. wants to turn up the heat ASAP in early September, likely wanting a cease “or else” clause somewhere in the mix.
The coalition of the willing is clear, the United States, Britain and Israel. As Tony Blair warned the people in the Middle East, get ready for some Western ideals.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Bush Says Nature of World Determines Laws
In an abrupt about face of last year’s “zero tolerance” for lawbreaking, President Bush now states the nature of the world should drive legal application. Due to a worldwide terror threat, the federal government should not be held to 1970’s laws regulating such behavior.
Yet, this same man stood in the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and said he had zero tolerance for anyone taking food, water, or shoes after a natural disaster. When the nature of the Gulf Coast changed, President Bush had zero appreciation for a new interpretation of laws.
The only common thread I can find in the two situations, President Bush has zero compassion and zero tolerance for not getting his way
Yet, this same man stood in the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and said he had zero tolerance for anyone taking food, water, or shoes after a natural disaster. When the nature of the Gulf Coast changed, President Bush had zero appreciation for a new interpretation of laws.
The only common thread I can find in the two situations, President Bush has zero compassion and zero tolerance for not getting his way
Bush Team Health Care Update
While the President’s Bush League Economic Team works to cut entitlement spending, Republican Governor Mike Huckabee had this to say about one Bush strategy to reign in healthcare costs:
"It's just another way in which there seems to be complete tone deafness in Washington to policies that are having a dramatic effect on the lives of the most vulnerable people we've got. It just never ceases to amaze me," Huckabee said.
"It's just another way in which there seems to be complete tone deafness in Washington to policies that are having a dramatic effect on the lives of the most vulnerable people we've got. It just never ceases to amaze me," Huckabee said.
Bush Not Yet Above the Law, The Supremes to Weigh In
At least a federal court attempted to place some limits on the reign of George W. Bush.
"It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control, particularly where his actions blatantly disregard the parameters clearly enumerated in the Bill of Rights," the federal judge wrote. "The three separate branches of government were developed as a check and balance for one another."
Amen, American ideals aren’t dead yet!
"It was never the intent of the framers to give the president such unfettered control, particularly where his actions blatantly disregard the parameters clearly enumerated in the Bill of Rights," the federal judge wrote. "The three separate branches of government were developed as a check and balance for one another."
Amen, American ideals aren’t dead yet!
Bush's Been Here
No Bravery
by James Blunt
There are children standing here
Arms outstretched into the sky
Tears drying on their face
He has been here
Brothers lie in shallow graves
Fathers lost without a trace
A nation blind to their disgrace
Since he’s been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery-in your eyes anymore
Only sadness
Houses burnt, beyond repair
The smell of death is in the air
A woman weeping in despair says
He has been here
Tracer lighting up the sky
It’s another family’s turn to die
A child afraid to even cry out says
He has been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery-in your eyes anymore
Only sadness
There are children standing here
Arms outstretched into the sky
But no one asks the question why
He has been here
Old men kneel and accept their fate
Wives and daughters cut and raped
A generation entrenched in hate
Yes, he has been here
by James Blunt
There are children standing here
Arms outstretched into the sky
Tears drying on their face
He has been here
Brothers lie in shallow graves
Fathers lost without a trace
A nation blind to their disgrace
Since he’s been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery-in your eyes anymore
Only sadness
Houses burnt, beyond repair
The smell of death is in the air
A woman weeping in despair says
He has been here
Tracer lighting up the sky
It’s another family’s turn to die
A child afraid to even cry out says
He has been here
And I see no bravery
No bravery-in your eyes anymore
Only sadness
There are children standing here
Arms outstretched into the sky
But no one asks the question why
He has been here
Old men kneel and accept their fate
Wives and daughters cut and raped
A generation entrenched in hate
Yes, he has been here
Lebanon’s Cluster _ _ _ _
Did you fill in the blank above? A number of four letter words would fit, but the correct answer is BOMB.
Now that refugees are teeming back into Southern Lebanon they risk contact with unexploded ordinance. Particularly heinous are unexploded cluster bombs. Two children already died from contact with these deadly remnants.
The risk to health from modern weapons is great. The question of their legality remains. The harm and death they inflict is not however in question.
Leader’s continue to fail the people….
and yes it was a Cluster _ _ _ _ !
Now that refugees are teeming back into Southern Lebanon they risk contact with unexploded ordinance. Particularly heinous are unexploded cluster bombs. Two children already died from contact with these deadly remnants.
The risk to health from modern weapons is great. The question of their legality remains. The harm and death they inflict is not however in question.
Leader’s continue to fail the people….
and yes it was a Cluster _ _ _ _ !
Bush League Economic Team
The Bush Economic Team advised by Alan Hubbard, National Economic Council Director, heads into their annual meeting. Rather than Crawford as in years past, the team is avoiding record Texas heat by retreating to Camp David in the mountains of Western Maryland.
They will take up the macroeconomic picture and job growth, financial markets, tax policy, the budget and current and future spending on government entitlement programs. A significant chunk of those government programs goes toward healthcare.
Alan’s group released a report earlier this year on “Cost Drivers in Healthcare”. Did you know one of the major cost drivers for rising healthcare prices is first dollar health coverage? I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen first dollar healthcare coverage for 20 years. My deductibles and co-pays have spiraled upwards in order to keep my health insurance affordable. As a leader in a healthcare organization, I saw our hospital do the same thing to keep from increasing the employee portion.
The only group I can envision receiving first dollar health care coverage are corporate executives as they often have a special part of their compensation related to “executive health”. For profit hospitals market such services to corporate boards and CEO’s.
The President’s healthcare plan also wishes to leverage the forces of supply and demand. Bush admits demand exceeds supply currently and is projected to grow dramatically with the aging of the population.
Market theory would suggest supply needs to increase in order to keep prices stable. This is the basis for the Bush energy plan, incentives for oil companies to increase supply. However, the Bush healthcare plan makes no mention of doctor supply.
Even worse, the Bush plan involves a Medicare 5% fee cut for doctors. Many doctors in my hometown already don’t accept new Medicare patients, so supply is constrained for new Medicare beneficiaries. How will this change after a 5% fee cut? As doctors manage their payor mix, will they drop existing patients on Medicare?
The Bush healthcare plan uses the term “modernization” to describe the shifting of administration for Medicare and Medicaid to the private sector. Both programs' administration costs have traditionally run 6-7%. Private health insurers spend 12-15% on administrative costs, roughly double. Moving Medicare and Medicaid to private insurance companies alone takes a significant chunk of funding away from the beneficiaries and apportions it to the administrator.
The President’s economic team did note the employer trend of reducing health insurance benefits or dropping it altogether. The most precipitous drops in employer coverage occurred during the Bush Presidency. It wants to accelerate this trend. It does so by promoting high deductible health plans and health savings accounts.
Note what Mr. Hubbard had to say about health savings accounts in a White House Q & A session:
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: To be honest, when we started out, we started with a blank sheet of paper to figure out what is the best way to approach the. And we ultimately decided that the proposal that we presented to the President -- he decided that the proposal that was presented was a correct proposal.
Not to get into the weeds, but I think some people thought the Hubbard-Cogan book was going to be adopted as the President's package. But as I told you a week or so ago, we certainly studied that -- what Cogan and Hubbard and Kessler proposed. But we considered a number of other approaches. And in the end, the President decided on what we're describing -- what he described last night and what we're describing today.
Employers save 30-40% by switching from high dollar coverage to cheaper plans. Data shows not all employers contribute their employees’ health savings accounts. Workers under these plans are responsible for meeting annual deductibles of $1,000 to $5,000 before most insurance benefits begin.
The President’s signature plan to address high health care costs is like hunting a tiger with a BB gun. With 46 million uninsured, only 1-2 million people are covered by health savings accounts despite rapid growth. Most of those don’t have a funded health savings account. As for the projected take up on HDHP’s and HSA’s, Alan Hubbard had this to day:
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: I'm sure we have those numbers available. I don't have the numbers at my fingertips, in terms of what the Treasury estimates in terms of the take-up. Will that be in the budget that -- I don't know what's actually in the budget. But, again, the President is a big believer in HSAs, and that's why he made the decision to make these tax credits apply to HSAs.
Q Okay, is the take-up rate something that you could check on today?
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: Roy, can we -- I don't know where we stand on that.
MR. RAMTHUN: We can check.
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: Yes, we can check.
Q That would be helpful.
Despite Al’s commitment to release numbers and my writing letters to elected representatives, I have never seen projections for the President’s signature strategy.
The Crackerjack Bush Economic team will discuss healthcare in their retreat. Reading between the lines, the message will be clear. More Americans will be on their own!
Rest assured Alan Hubbard will be looking out for someone’s welfare. Will it be the Carlyle Group’s new affiliate, Multiplan? They say they offer health care cost management solutions where everybody benefits.
It sounds just like the Bush team is looking for! What they don’t mention are their administrative costs or their profit margin, items much smaller in the less modern Medicare and Medicaid.
They will take up the macroeconomic picture and job growth, financial markets, tax policy, the budget and current and future spending on government entitlement programs. A significant chunk of those government programs goes toward healthcare.
Alan’s group released a report earlier this year on “Cost Drivers in Healthcare”. Did you know one of the major cost drivers for rising healthcare prices is first dollar health coverage? I don’t know about you, but I haven’t seen first dollar healthcare coverage for 20 years. My deductibles and co-pays have spiraled upwards in order to keep my health insurance affordable. As a leader in a healthcare organization, I saw our hospital do the same thing to keep from increasing the employee portion.
The only group I can envision receiving first dollar health care coverage are corporate executives as they often have a special part of their compensation related to “executive health”. For profit hospitals market such services to corporate boards and CEO’s.
The President’s healthcare plan also wishes to leverage the forces of supply and demand. Bush admits demand exceeds supply currently and is projected to grow dramatically with the aging of the population.
Market theory would suggest supply needs to increase in order to keep prices stable. This is the basis for the Bush energy plan, incentives for oil companies to increase supply. However, the Bush healthcare plan makes no mention of doctor supply.
Even worse, the Bush plan involves a Medicare 5% fee cut for doctors. Many doctors in my hometown already don’t accept new Medicare patients, so supply is constrained for new Medicare beneficiaries. How will this change after a 5% fee cut? As doctors manage their payor mix, will they drop existing patients on Medicare?
The Bush healthcare plan uses the term “modernization” to describe the shifting of administration for Medicare and Medicaid to the private sector. Both programs' administration costs have traditionally run 6-7%. Private health insurers spend 12-15% on administrative costs, roughly double. Moving Medicare and Medicaid to private insurance companies alone takes a significant chunk of funding away from the beneficiaries and apportions it to the administrator.
The President’s economic team did note the employer trend of reducing health insurance benefits or dropping it altogether. The most precipitous drops in employer coverage occurred during the Bush Presidency. It wants to accelerate this trend. It does so by promoting high deductible health plans and health savings accounts.
Note what Mr. Hubbard had to say about health savings accounts in a White House Q & A session:
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: To be honest, when we started out, we started with a blank sheet of paper to figure out what is the best way to approach the. And we ultimately decided that the proposal that we presented to the President -- he decided that the proposal that was presented was a correct proposal.
Not to get into the weeds, but I think some people thought the Hubbard-Cogan book was going to be adopted as the President's package. But as I told you a week or so ago, we certainly studied that -- what Cogan and Hubbard and Kessler proposed. But we considered a number of other approaches. And in the end, the President decided on what we're describing -- what he described last night and what we're describing today.
Employers save 30-40% by switching from high dollar coverage to cheaper plans. Data shows not all employers contribute their employees’ health savings accounts. Workers under these plans are responsible for meeting annual deductibles of $1,000 to $5,000 before most insurance benefits begin.
The President’s signature plan to address high health care costs is like hunting a tiger with a BB gun. With 46 million uninsured, only 1-2 million people are covered by health savings accounts despite rapid growth. Most of those don’t have a funded health savings account. As for the projected take up on HDHP’s and HSA’s, Alan Hubbard had this to day:
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: I'm sure we have those numbers available. I don't have the numbers at my fingertips, in terms of what the Treasury estimates in terms of the take-up. Will that be in the budget that -- I don't know what's actually in the budget. But, again, the President is a big believer in HSAs, and that's why he made the decision to make these tax credits apply to HSAs.
Q Okay, is the take-up rate something that you could check on today?
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: Roy, can we -- I don't know where we stand on that.
MR. RAMTHUN: We can check.
DIRECTOR HUBBARD: Yes, we can check.
Q That would be helpful.
Despite Al’s commitment to release numbers and my writing letters to elected representatives, I have never seen projections for the President’s signature strategy.
The Crackerjack Bush Economic team will discuss healthcare in their retreat. Reading between the lines, the message will be clear. More Americans will be on their own!
Rest assured Alan Hubbard will be looking out for someone’s welfare. Will it be the Carlyle Group’s new affiliate, Multiplan? They say they offer health care cost management solutions where everybody benefits.
It sounds just like the Bush team is looking for! What they don’t mention are their administrative costs or their profit margin, items much smaller in the less modern Medicare and Medicaid.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
A Son’s Love
The flood waters rose rapidly. The aged mother and son struggled with what to do as the murky brown water rose. He found a boat nearby loading his 91 year old wheelchair bound mother inside. A policeman directed them to a place where food and shelter could be found.
The refugees did as directed only no food or water was to be had. The 91 year old woman faded in the high heat and humidity. With no medical care available, she expired before a full day ran. The son watched over her wheelchair draped body for 4 days before being forced to evacuate.
The care he showed his mother could touch the world deeply. The people can cry out demanding more from federal, state, and local authorities who last summer showed their incapacity in delivering basic services to the stranded. They could tell the government of the people to stop intentionally causing harm to other’s loved ones by training in war no more. What will the people do? What will you do? How many days will you sit with the fallen?
The refugees did as directed only no food or water was to be had. The 91 year old woman faded in the high heat and humidity. With no medical care available, she expired before a full day ran. The son watched over her wheelchair draped body for 4 days before being forced to evacuate.
The care he showed his mother could touch the world deeply. The people can cry out demanding more from federal, state, and local authorities who last summer showed their incapacity in delivering basic services to the stranded. They could tell the government of the people to stop intentionally causing harm to other’s loved ones by training in war no more. What will the people do? What will you do? How many days will you sit with the fallen?
Air Travel Not Suited for Actively Mentally Ill
The "be wary" sign for mentally ill travelers came last November when agents gunned down Roberto Alpizar in the Miami Airport. His high anxiety state and unpredictable behavior required but one response in the eyes of federal air marshals, shoot to kill.
Watching security experts train transportation safety personnel on recognizing outward signs of anxiety, an indicator of lying, caused my stomach to sink earlier this week. Many of those same symptoms are exhibited by people in active mental crisis.
This morning that sinking feeling returned as I read of an emotionally ill Vermont woman, expected to be charged with interfering with the crew on a trans-Atlantic flight. While her behavior was disruptive and concerning, the article revealed much about the safety of our air travel system. Authorities apparently disagree as to whether the passenger had any “banned” items in her rather large handbag.
On Wednesday, George Naccara, security director for the Transportation Security Administration for Massachusetts' airport, had specifically denied she was carrying a screwdriver or any liquids such as Vaseline.
On Thursday, Gail Marcinkiewicz, spokeswoman for the FBI in Boston, confirmed on Thursday that Mayo, a U.S. citizen, was carrying banned items in her carry-on bag, including a screwdriver, an unspecified number of cigarette lighters and matches.
They did agree she had no connection to terrorism, but they didn't say how she got banned items past the stepped up U.K. security screens. What is clear is the woman’s behavior.
Passengers said the woman appeared to have emotional problems. Several passengers said Mayo made repeated trips to the bathroom. "She was in a frenzy," passenger Martin Drinkwater of London told The Boston Globe. "She then pulled her trousers and knickers down and squatted on the floor."
This required her to be tackled and handcuffed, for the plane to be diverted, and for several F-15’s to escort it into U.S. airspace. While these strategies may be very appropriate for a terrorist, they are not useful for managing someone in an active mental health crisis. I have doubts that our federal government truly cares about this distinction.
Watching security experts train transportation safety personnel on recognizing outward signs of anxiety, an indicator of lying, caused my stomach to sink earlier this week. Many of those same symptoms are exhibited by people in active mental crisis.
This morning that sinking feeling returned as I read of an emotionally ill Vermont woman, expected to be charged with interfering with the crew on a trans-Atlantic flight. While her behavior was disruptive and concerning, the article revealed much about the safety of our air travel system. Authorities apparently disagree as to whether the passenger had any “banned” items in her rather large handbag.
On Wednesday, George Naccara, security director for the Transportation Security Administration for Massachusetts' airport, had specifically denied she was carrying a screwdriver or any liquids such as Vaseline.
On Thursday, Gail Marcinkiewicz, spokeswoman for the FBI in Boston, confirmed on Thursday that Mayo, a U.S. citizen, was carrying banned items in her carry-on bag, including a screwdriver, an unspecified number of cigarette lighters and matches.
They did agree she had no connection to terrorism, but they didn't say how she got banned items past the stepped up U.K. security screens. What is clear is the woman’s behavior.
Passengers said the woman appeared to have emotional problems. Several passengers said Mayo made repeated trips to the bathroom. "She was in a frenzy," passenger Martin Drinkwater of London told The Boston Globe. "She then pulled her trousers and knickers down and squatted on the floor."
This required her to be tackled and handcuffed, for the plane to be diverted, and for several F-15’s to escort it into U.S. airspace. While these strategies may be very appropriate for a terrorist, they are not useful for managing someone in an active mental health crisis. I have doubts that our federal government truly cares about this distinction.
Health Care & Pension Message to Americans “You’re On Your Own”
The Bush strategy for health care and retirement is for Americans to shoulder a greater responsibility for those costs. In health care Bush encourages businesses to offer high deductible health plans which require workers to pay huge annual deductibles as well as copays. Employees can use tax free money set aside in health savings accounts to pay those bills.
Today President Bush signs a bill he calls "the most comprehensive reforms to America's pension system in over 30 years."
It attempts to shore up the nation’s flagging pension system, mostly at the expense of the worker. American and Continental airlines gain more by dropping their current defined benefit plans and switching to defined contribution. How should one of their employees feel about a bill that encourages their employer to cut their retirement benefits?
Defense contractors doing big business with the Pentagon get a break. Do they need it?
Stock Price per share performance from March 2003 to August 2006
General Dynamics more than doubled from $30 to $68
Lockheed Martin nearly doubled from $45 to $83
Northrup Grumman rose from $42 to $66
Raytheon climbed from $26 to $47
BAE Systems nearly tripled from £120 to £357
Net Income Growth from 2003 to 2005
General Dynamics up nearly 50% from $1 billion to $1.46 billion
Lockheed Martin nearly doubled from $1 billion to $1.82 billion
Northrup Grumman rose handily from $866 million to $1.4 billion
Raytheon soard from $365 million to $871 million
BAE Systems climbed from £12.5 billion to £15.4 billion
From 2003 most have seen their stock price double, their net income grow by at least 50%, and a number had record profits last quarter. Given their stellar financial performance, why has management not funded their pension obligations? Why do they need 3 more years than the average U.S. company to meet their commitments to their employees? Is this more insider favor granting from our pocketed U.S. politicians?
For a small case example of how the Bush administration really feels about pensions look how the Department of Energy is cutting benefits for workers at the Hanford Plant. All new contract workers on site would be ineligible for the Department of Energy’s defined benefit and health care benefits.
Today President Bush signs a bill he calls "the most comprehensive reforms to America's pension system in over 30 years."
It attempts to shore up the nation’s flagging pension system, mostly at the expense of the worker. American and Continental airlines gain more by dropping their current defined benefit plans and switching to defined contribution. How should one of their employees feel about a bill that encourages their employer to cut their retirement benefits?
Defense contractors doing big business with the Pentagon get a break. Do they need it?
Stock Price per share performance from March 2003 to August 2006
General Dynamics more than doubled from $30 to $68
Lockheed Martin nearly doubled from $45 to $83
Northrup Grumman rose from $42 to $66
Raytheon climbed from $26 to $47
BAE Systems nearly tripled from £120 to £357
Net Income Growth from 2003 to 2005
General Dynamics up nearly 50% from $1 billion to $1.46 billion
Lockheed Martin nearly doubled from $1 billion to $1.82 billion
Northrup Grumman rose handily from $866 million to $1.4 billion
Raytheon soard from $365 million to $871 million
BAE Systems climbed from £12.5 billion to £15.4 billion
From 2003 most have seen their stock price double, their net income grow by at least 50%, and a number had record profits last quarter. Given their stellar financial performance, why has management not funded their pension obligations? Why do they need 3 more years than the average U.S. company to meet their commitments to their employees? Is this more insider favor granting from our pocketed U.S. politicians?
For a small case example of how the Bush administration really feels about pensions look how the Department of Energy is cutting benefits for workers at the Hanford Plant. All new contract workers on site would be ineligible for the Department of Energy’s defined benefit and health care benefits.
White House “Setting the Record Straight” on SOD’s Allegations
The White House intends to set the record straight regarding assertions by the blogger State of the Division that it purposefully omitted any mention of The Carlyle Group’s LifeCare Hospitals and their 24 patient deaths in its post Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned Report.
As the White House did not actually learn any lessons from its investigation, the blogger’s assertions are spurious at best and politically motivated at worst. As an independent blogger, State of the Division wishes to promote the wide spate of independent candidates running across the country. Evidence shows he lives in a state with 2 independent candidates for governor. Texas has Kinky Friedman and Carol Strayhorn. State’s parents grew up in Connecticut, home of the now independent Joe Lieberman. His axe is obvious.
While he did help evacuate a hospital prior to a powerful hurricane and worked through a flood that robbed a 725 bed teaching hospital of power, these were back in the 80’s. Such ancient history is not a foundation for current disaster management. Cell phones were big and clunky, communism the threat, Saddam a trusted friend, and Japanese automakers were kicking the "hot buttered roll word" out of American auto manufacturers. Senior President Bush was in the White House and his no good son George was partying hard, drinking heavily and doing drugs. Experiences from that era count for nothing.
While State is correct that no mention of the LifeCare deaths exists in the Lessons Learned report, the White House traced the problem to an electronic malfunction. The original report had such information but a blip occurred during editing. The same electronic pulse that caused Air Force One to suddenly dip to 10,000 feet over New Orleans reoccurred during the creation of the report knocking Frances Fragos-Townsend across the room. When she got back to her computer the section of the document on LifeCare deaths disappeared. In its’ place stood a thank you note from none other than Lou Gertsner, CEO of Carlyle and directions on where to pick up the check. It is just a short walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to Carlyle’s headquarters.
The White House hopes this clears up the blatantly true, but widely ignored allegations of State of the Division.
P.S. This is a fictional response from the White House, not true, intended for humorous purposes. The part about LifeCare deaths missing from the Lessons Learned report is sadly accurate.
As the White House did not actually learn any lessons from its investigation, the blogger’s assertions are spurious at best and politically motivated at worst. As an independent blogger, State of the Division wishes to promote the wide spate of independent candidates running across the country. Evidence shows he lives in a state with 2 independent candidates for governor. Texas has Kinky Friedman and Carol Strayhorn. State’s parents grew up in Connecticut, home of the now independent Joe Lieberman. His axe is obvious.
While he did help evacuate a hospital prior to a powerful hurricane and worked through a flood that robbed a 725 bed teaching hospital of power, these were back in the 80’s. Such ancient history is not a foundation for current disaster management. Cell phones were big and clunky, communism the threat, Saddam a trusted friend, and Japanese automakers were kicking the "hot buttered roll word" out of American auto manufacturers. Senior President Bush was in the White House and his no good son George was partying hard, drinking heavily and doing drugs. Experiences from that era count for nothing.
While State is correct that no mention of the LifeCare deaths exists in the Lessons Learned report, the White House traced the problem to an electronic malfunction. The original report had such information but a blip occurred during editing. The same electronic pulse that caused Air Force One to suddenly dip to 10,000 feet over New Orleans reoccurred during the creation of the report knocking Frances Fragos-Townsend across the room. When she got back to her computer the section of the document on LifeCare deaths disappeared. In its’ place stood a thank you note from none other than Lou Gertsner, CEO of Carlyle and directions on where to pick up the check. It is just a short walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to Carlyle’s headquarters.
The White House hopes this clears up the blatantly true, but widely ignored allegations of State of the Division.
P.S. This is a fictional response from the White House, not true, intended for humorous purposes. The part about LifeCare deaths missing from the Lessons Learned report is sadly accurate.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
“Slash & Burn” vs. “Cut & Run”
President Bush did his best to lower the level of dialogue on how best to respond to America’s ever growing terrorist threat under his watch. He suggested his opponents’ strategy of “cut & run” would invite terrorists to America’s shores, as if his knuckle dragging on Lebanon wasn’t a big American Greetings invitation to Hezbollah and Hamas. Up until now, neither group had American citizens or interests in their sights.
Now that Bush has advertised his terrorist open house invitation for the Nth time since mouthing “Bring it on”, he has the temerity to lambast his opponents for being weak on terrorism.
From my perspective, the only strategy at issue is bombing countries that have some terrorists in them back twenty years and occupying their soil with foreign troops. Otherwise, both sides back vigorous intelligence and investigative activities to root out terrorists.
The Bush clan is willing to break the law to find the bad guys, also planning to break the law. Methods include torture, holding people without charges or trials, using hearsay evidence, and rooting through mountains of personal information to identify suspicious activity.
It seems the Bush team is willing to slash and burn a country, a group of people, or an individual to defeat “terrorism”. The country part has seen less than stellar results to date. While no official data is available from intelligence sources, my guess is the estimated number of terrorists intent on harming the United States has grown since the Bush invasion of Iraq. It likely got another big boost from the Israeli stomping of democratic Lebanon.
I want Bush to quit the “slash and burn” tactics inviting terrorists to our shore. Then it won’t matter as much if we “cut and run” or not.
Now that Bush has advertised his terrorist open house invitation for the Nth time since mouthing “Bring it on”, he has the temerity to lambast his opponents for being weak on terrorism.
From my perspective, the only strategy at issue is bombing countries that have some terrorists in them back twenty years and occupying their soil with foreign troops. Otherwise, both sides back vigorous intelligence and investigative activities to root out terrorists.
The Bush clan is willing to break the law to find the bad guys, also planning to break the law. Methods include torture, holding people without charges or trials, using hearsay evidence, and rooting through mountains of personal information to identify suspicious activity.
It seems the Bush team is willing to slash and burn a country, a group of people, or an individual to defeat “terrorism”. The country part has seen less than stellar results to date. While no official data is available from intelligence sources, my guess is the estimated number of terrorists intent on harming the United States has grown since the Bush invasion of Iraq. It likely got another big boost from the Israeli stomping of democratic Lebanon.
I want Bush to quit the “slash and burn” tactics inviting terrorists to our shore. Then it won’t matter as much if we “cut and run” or not.
Terrorism and The Carlyle Group
The recent uproar over the Bush administration’s screening of international financial data for terrorist links revealed the existence of the SWIFT program. Information showed the top secret effort to be based in Brussels, Belgium.
Given the Bush mantra that the private sector can do things much more efficiently than government, rest assured the feds contracted out this work. That the Bush leadership style insures poor operational results is the topic for another story.
Who might be conducting this work on behalf of our federal government? Could a recent news release shed any light on this question? The Carlyle Group just closed on a deal giving them part ownership of FRS Global, a financial services and software company based in Brussels, Belgium.
FRS markets a unique set of enterprise risk and regulatory compliance solutions for financial institutions. Sharing data with the feds certainly fits under “regulatory compliance”. The base of their unique video shows data capture, data foundation and analytics specific to regulatory requirements.
In summer of 2005 FRS purchased a software product with unique capabilities from Providus. The press release states “As a combined entity, we will be well positioned to play a role in facilitating the pending convergence of regulatory compliance and risk management practices around the globe”.
Just last summer The Carlyle Group closed another acquisition, LifeCare Hospitals. Several weeks later, Hurricane Katrina struck and 24 patients died in the LifeCare Unit in Memorial Medical Center. President Bush chose to leave this important fact out of his White House Lessons Learned report. That likely will help the Carlyle attorneys facing wrongful death lawsuits.
If FRS does provide the SWIFT analysis, this case serves as another example of the expansion of the military industrial complex into the government industrial monstrosity. That Bush’s buddies get large chunks of the business is just the way the ball bounces.
The recent British airport security scare will likely help another Carlyle affiliate, QinetiQ. The company was born out of British intelligence several years ago. It specializes in using human science in the provision of more secure travel environments. How might their homeland security division make out with the new revelations of chemical bombs? Swimmingly, would be my guess.
Given the Bush mantra that the private sector can do things much more efficiently than government, rest assured the feds contracted out this work. That the Bush leadership style insures poor operational results is the topic for another story.
Who might be conducting this work on behalf of our federal government? Could a recent news release shed any light on this question? The Carlyle Group just closed on a deal giving them part ownership of FRS Global, a financial services and software company based in Brussels, Belgium.
FRS markets a unique set of enterprise risk and regulatory compliance solutions for financial institutions. Sharing data with the feds certainly fits under “regulatory compliance”. The base of their unique video shows data capture, data foundation and analytics specific to regulatory requirements.
In summer of 2005 FRS purchased a software product with unique capabilities from Providus. The press release states “As a combined entity, we will be well positioned to play a role in facilitating the pending convergence of regulatory compliance and risk management practices around the globe”.
Just last summer The Carlyle Group closed another acquisition, LifeCare Hospitals. Several weeks later, Hurricane Katrina struck and 24 patients died in the LifeCare Unit in Memorial Medical Center. President Bush chose to leave this important fact out of his White House Lessons Learned report. That likely will help the Carlyle attorneys facing wrongful death lawsuits.
If FRS does provide the SWIFT analysis, this case serves as another example of the expansion of the military industrial complex into the government industrial monstrosity. That Bush’s buddies get large chunks of the business is just the way the ball bounces.
The recent British airport security scare will likely help another Carlyle affiliate, QinetiQ. The company was born out of British intelligence several years ago. It specializes in using human science in the provision of more secure travel environments. How might their homeland security division make out with the new revelations of chemical bombs? Swimmingly, would be my guess.
Note to King Abdullah, Bush Doesn’t Care about Moderates
King Abdullah of Jordan issued new calls for Israel-Arab peacemaking to deal with the real root causes of the Israel-Lebanon war. He is concerned the conflict weakened moderate Muslim leaders.
Bush will ignore his calls for several reasons. First, the U.S. President has been AWOL on Middle East peace, starting a pre-emptive war in the region and virtually ignoring the Israel-Palestine issue. For him to strongly lead in resolving that issue would mean admitting his first grader root cause analysis citing the Hezbollah kidnapping as the source of the war, did not deserve the A+ and the gold star he wore on his forehead for a day.
The second reason Bush will ignore King Abdullah's plea is he doesn’t listen to moderates. The President’s Secretary of Faith, Rev. Pat Robertson visited the region to pray with a leader in the conflict. Pat walked right past the Christian leader of Lebanon to join hands with Jewish Israeli P.M. Ehud Olmert. Together they prayed for victory. Later Pat groveled for re-inclusion in the Christian theme development next to the Sea of Galilee. It doesn’t do to have Katyusha rockets raining down where manna should be falling.
One might think King Abdullah and Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faisal would be used to President Bush ignoring their advice. It must gall them to meet with George knowing their predictions came through every time. Bush is 0 for 3 on the Saudi minister's advice. Do they call George the strike out King?
Bush will ignore his calls for several reasons. First, the U.S. President has been AWOL on Middle East peace, starting a pre-emptive war in the region and virtually ignoring the Israel-Palestine issue. For him to strongly lead in resolving that issue would mean admitting his first grader root cause analysis citing the Hezbollah kidnapping as the source of the war, did not deserve the A+ and the gold star he wore on his forehead for a day.
The second reason Bush will ignore King Abdullah's plea is he doesn’t listen to moderates. The President’s Secretary of Faith, Rev. Pat Robertson visited the region to pray with a leader in the conflict. Pat walked right past the Christian leader of Lebanon to join hands with Jewish Israeli P.M. Ehud Olmert. Together they prayed for victory. Later Pat groveled for re-inclusion in the Christian theme development next to the Sea of Galilee. It doesn’t do to have Katyusha rockets raining down where manna should be falling.
One might think King Abdullah and Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faisal would be used to President Bush ignoring their advice. It must gall them to meet with George knowing their predictions came through every time. Bush is 0 for 3 on the Saudi minister's advice. Do they call George the strike out King?
The Sorry State of Leadership in the World Today
Last night I lamented to a friend how disturbed I am over the poor state of leadership throughout the world. Itchy trigger fingers driven by a pre-emptive strike mentality have become the primary method for change, for instituting “freedom and democracy”. According to the U.S. State Department Lebanon already had it but the Israeli invasion happened anyway.
This morning Juan Cole’s Informed Comment summed up my thoughts rather well. I include his words below.
Since the United Nations resolution calling for a halt to hostilities, Prime Minister Olmert, President Bush, Secretary-General Nasrallah, President al-Asad and President Ahmadinejad have all been procliaming the war a personal victory.
I don't know why they would want to claim it.
It was such a stupid war. It was thick-as-two-blocks-of-wood strategy on all sides. It was moronic for the Israelis to plan it out last year. It was idiotic for Hizbullah to cross over into Israel, kill soldiers, and take two captive. It was brain dead for the Israeli officer corps and politicians to think they could get anything positive out of bombing Lebanon back to the stone age and making a million people homeless. It was dim-witted for Hasan Nasrallah to threaten Israelis with releasing poison gases from Haifa chemical plants on them. It was obtuse for the Israelis to confront a dug-in guerrilla movement with green conventional troops marching in straight lines. It was dull of Hizbullah to fire thousands of katyushas into open fields where they mainly damaged wild grass. The few times when the rockets managed to kill someone, it was often an Arab Israeli civilian. Stupid.
How leaders continue to fail the people they “serve”…..
This morning Juan Cole’s Informed Comment summed up my thoughts rather well. I include his words below.
Since the United Nations resolution calling for a halt to hostilities, Prime Minister Olmert, President Bush, Secretary-General Nasrallah, President al-Asad and President Ahmadinejad have all been procliaming the war a personal victory.
I don't know why they would want to claim it.
It was such a stupid war. It was thick-as-two-blocks-of-wood strategy on all sides. It was moronic for the Israelis to plan it out last year. It was idiotic for Hizbullah to cross over into Israel, kill soldiers, and take two captive. It was brain dead for the Israeli officer corps and politicians to think they could get anything positive out of bombing Lebanon back to the stone age and making a million people homeless. It was dim-witted for Hasan Nasrallah to threaten Israelis with releasing poison gases from Haifa chemical plants on them. It was obtuse for the Israelis to confront a dug-in guerrilla movement with green conventional troops marching in straight lines. It was dull of Hizbullah to fire thousands of katyushas into open fields where they mainly damaged wild grass. The few times when the rockets managed to kill someone, it was often an Arab Israeli civilian. Stupid.
How leaders continue to fail the people they “serve”…..
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Will San Angelo Be Attacked Next in War on Terror?
In the last year my community of 100,000 people found it harbors a terrorist group, the Ku Klux Klan. This extremist group has a history of using terror tactics to push its radical religious ideology. Given the recent events in the Middle East I am concerned the U.S. military may bomb San Angelo back twenty years to root out this terrorist threat.
Israel devastated Lebanon, a country of over 4 million people to get at 5,000 Hezbollah guerillas. Applying that same percentage to my hometown, it means a world power would devastate a community of 100,000 to root out 125 guerillas.
Does the Department of Homeland Security know how big the Klan chapter is in San Angelo? Do they know the leader’s real name as he won’t use it in media interviews? Is the chapter big enough yet for a full scale invasion?
Please write me back with answers to these important questions. I need to know if I should sell the house and move to a safer part of the country. Please include the Klan free zones with your response.
Israel devastated Lebanon, a country of over 4 million people to get at 5,000 Hezbollah guerillas. Applying that same percentage to my hometown, it means a world power would devastate a community of 100,000 to root out 125 guerillas.
Does the Department of Homeland Security know how big the Klan chapter is in San Angelo? Do they know the leader’s real name as he won’t use it in media interviews? Is the chapter big enough yet for a full scale invasion?
Please write me back with answers to these important questions. I need to know if I should sell the house and move to a safer part of the country. Please include the Klan free zones with your response.
Advice from Federal Information Center on Questions Regarding White House Lessons Learned Report
After four months, the Federal Government gave me an official reply regarding my concerns about the White House Lessons Learned report. The Federal Information Center informed me how to go about getting my questions answered. The list they provided sounded awful familiar.
1. Write the President. Did that, no reply from President Bush or White House staff.
2. Contact Senators. Check, no response from Senators Hutchison or Cornyn.
3. Contact Representative. Ditto. no answers from Rep. Mike Conaway.
4. Contact State Governor. Regarding a White House report? No thanks.
5. Contact U.S. Government agencies directly. Did that. FBI, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security. No response to date.
The laugher is the DOJ sent my inquiry to the Federal Information Center. The FIC then suggested I contact federal agencies directly. Are my questions in an endless loop?
How many of the above have subpoena power? The first three will just give me the official White House line, after all they authored the report. It is their friends that may have benefited from insider influence. The only one that makes sense is number 5 and all have punted to date.
I wish others better luck getting their concerns and question addressed. The system does not appear to be set up to do so.
1. Write the President. Did that, no reply from President Bush or White House staff.
2. Contact Senators. Check, no response from Senators Hutchison or Cornyn.
3. Contact Representative. Ditto. no answers from Rep. Mike Conaway.
4. Contact State Governor. Regarding a White House report? No thanks.
5. Contact U.S. Government agencies directly. Did that. FBI, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security. No response to date.
The laugher is the DOJ sent my inquiry to the Federal Information Center. The FIC then suggested I contact federal agencies directly. Are my questions in an endless loop?
How many of the above have subpoena power? The first three will just give me the official White House line, after all they authored the report. It is their friends that may have benefited from insider influence. The only one that makes sense is number 5 and all have punted to date.
I wish others better luck getting their concerns and question addressed. The system does not appear to be set up to do so.
If Israel Won, then Katrina Kicked Butt!
After a month long pummeling of its democratic neighbor to the north, a tentative cease fire marks a break in the violence. Both sides and their proxies claim victory.
Israel unleashed their revenge inspired war machine to destroy Hezbollah’s 3,000 to 5,000 guerillas and get back two captured soldiers. Their aims changed as the conflict progressed. By the end, Israel’s goal shifted to a non Hezbollah military presence in Southern Lebanon.
With their original aims unfulfilled, what really was accomplished? It appears nearly 1,000 deaths, about a million people driven from their homes, and billions in destruction. Does that sound familiar to anyone living on the Gulf Coast? Yes, it has that Hurricane Katrina ring.
If Israel won by unleashing the destructive forces of military power, then Mother Nature kicked ass with her hurricane whipped wind, waves and storm surge. The sad part about the Lebanese destruction is it was purely man made.
Israel unleashed their revenge inspired war machine to destroy Hezbollah’s 3,000 to 5,000 guerillas and get back two captured soldiers. Their aims changed as the conflict progressed. By the end, Israel’s goal shifted to a non Hezbollah military presence in Southern Lebanon.
With their original aims unfulfilled, what really was accomplished? It appears nearly 1,000 deaths, about a million people driven from their homes, and billions in destruction. Does that sound familiar to anyone living on the Gulf Coast? Yes, it has that Hurricane Katrina ring.
If Israel won by unleashing the destructive forces of military power, then Mother Nature kicked ass with her hurricane whipped wind, waves and storm surge. The sad part about the Lebanese destruction is it was purely man made.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Nobody Won! Unless You Like Spilling Blood?
The various “world bleeders” scramble to their bully pulpits to proclaim victory after a month of senseless destruction in Lebanon and Israel. Here’s the list of people claiming victory on behalf of one side or the other:
President George W. Bush said Hezbollah guerillas suffered a defeat at the hands of Israel and he blamed the guerrilla group for the devastation. "There's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon"
Prime Minister Olmert claimed success, saying the offensive eliminated the "state within a state" run by Hezbollah group and restored Lebanon's sovereignty in the south.
Hezbollah Leader Sheik Nasrallah claimed a "strategic, historic victory."
Over 1 million displaced, nearly 1,000 killed, damage in the major billions…who could declare this a success and still look in the mirror? Yep, only a World Bleeder.
President George W. Bush said Hezbollah guerillas suffered a defeat at the hands of Israel and he blamed the guerrilla group for the devastation. "There's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon"
Prime Minister Olmert claimed success, saying the offensive eliminated the "state within a state" run by Hezbollah group and restored Lebanon's sovereignty in the south.
Hezbollah Leader Sheik Nasrallah claimed a "strategic, historic victory."
Over 1 million displaced, nearly 1,000 killed, damage in the major billions…who could declare this a success and still look in the mirror? Yep, only a World Bleeder.
Bush Claims Israeli Military Defeated Terrorist Group?
President Bush claims the Israeli military defeated Hezbollah’s guerillas in its month long offensive on the democratic state of Lebanon. The President likes data, so what military measures clearly indicate a landside victory by the instigators?
What did Mr. Bush see in lost lives, number of refugees and damage to infrastructure that lead him to believe Hezbollah suffered a resounding defeat? How many of the 3,000 to 5,000 guerillas did Israel take out? Was Israel able to capture the Hezbollah leader?
Actually the comparisons feel more like Afghanistan and the United States action in the war on terror. Osama bin Laden remains free, his al-Qaeda network reformed and re-invigorated from the West’s dalliances into the Middle East.
The people doing the suffering will decide who is responsible, despite the President’s assertions. As they pick up the remnants of their lives will they find any bomb fragments that say “Made in the U.S.A.”?
What did Mr. Bush see in lost lives, number of refugees and damage to infrastructure that lead him to believe Hezbollah suffered a resounding defeat? How many of the 3,000 to 5,000 guerillas did Israel take out? Was Israel able to capture the Hezbollah leader?
Actually the comparisons feel more like Afghanistan and the United States action in the war on terror. Osama bin Laden remains free, his al-Qaeda network reformed and re-invigorated from the West’s dalliances into the Middle East.
The people doing the suffering will decide who is responsible, despite the President’s assertions. As they pick up the remnants of their lives will they find any bomb fragments that say “Made in the U.S.A.”?
Olmert Claims Sole Responsibility?
Israeli Prime Minister’s admission that he is solely responsible for attacking a democratic neighbor may just come back to haunt him. Will they garnish his wages to repay the cost of over $2.5 billion in property damage? How many murders will Ehud Olmert be charged with? Saddam is currently on trial for much the same thing.
I don’t buy his remarks. Ehud does not deserve to be solely responsible. It’s not because the U.S. and Israel conduct joint planning twice a year on military strategy and terrorism. In my mind if Mr. Olmert were solely responsible, he would have challenged Mr. Nazrallah to a duel and left the innocents out of it.
When the people become disposable, the leaders have gone. In their place are self serving, egotistical, hotheads eager to push the button on violence as the means to get their way.
When the people are invaluable, leaders would easily sacrifice themselves for the greater good. It is time for the people to be invaluable, not people in “important positions” who parade around as such.
I don’t buy his remarks. Ehud does not deserve to be solely responsible. It’s not because the U.S. and Israel conduct joint planning twice a year on military strategy and terrorism. In my mind if Mr. Olmert were solely responsible, he would have challenged Mr. Nazrallah to a duel and left the innocents out of it.
When the people become disposable, the leaders have gone. In their place are self serving, egotistical, hotheads eager to push the button on violence as the means to get their way.
When the people are invaluable, leaders would easily sacrifice themselves for the greater good. It is time for the people to be invaluable, not people in “important positions” who parade around as such.
Bush to Screw Seniors via Medicare Cuts?
How will the 5.1% cut in physician payments play out in my hometown? As most primary care physicians don't accept new Medicare patients, the door to newly covered beneficiaries may slam shut. How many physicians unhappy about the cut will restrict the Medicare portion of their practice? Will they drop any current patients as a result?
President Bush highlighted numerous times, demand for medical care exceeds supply, even instituting a number of programs to reduce demand. His signature strategy is shifting the cost to the patient via high deductible health plans. While these plans are growing dramatically, the number of covered lives in 2005 was estimated at 1 to 2 million people.
In contrast the Medicare cuts are likely to quickly reduce physician supply for nearly 42 million beneficiaries. This will free up physician time to serve patients with better paying insurance status. It won't go to caring for the uninsured, unless their ER call burden grows.
The Bush plan also imposes quality standards. Early identification of health problems is critical to preventing more serious problems down the line. How will the 5.1% cut impact newly covered seniors ability to see their doctor in a timely fashion, if at all? How will those already in a practice be impacted by physicians managing their Medicare load for optimal reimbursement?
What about the people covered? Nearly 9 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries have one or more chronic disease. Most beneficiaries live on modest incomes and rely heavily on Social Security. When the Bush team starts cutting it’s these people who suffer, not the physicians.
While I am not a fan of huge physician incomes, I would much prefer the rich pay a greater share of the care for those unable to pay. Cutting taxes for the wealthy to cut benefits for the poor, elderly and disabled seems mean spirited. This will be sold as a drop in payments to already well off physicians but my guess is the people will pay the price.
I would go on about the Bush quality initiatives, but the American people clearly have seen this administration’s inability to perform competently. What it will do is create a brand new health care information industry, proliferated by for profit companies? Think of the government contractors in New Orleans post Katrina or the CPA’s contracting for rebuilding Iraq. That’s what the Bush team has for America to improve health care, a big government money funnel to Bush’s insider friends. The Carlyle Group purchased MultiPlan just months ago to have a repository for the ka-ching!
To improve quality one must understand and apply Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. Simply contracting out the job requires no knowledge of systems, variation, psychology, knowledge and their interactions. However, it gives the appearance of purposeful activity while accomplishing little. It could even make things worse.
Dr. Deming said "We are being ruined by best efforts." The Bush team certainly seems to qualify.
President Bush highlighted numerous times, demand for medical care exceeds supply, even instituting a number of programs to reduce demand. His signature strategy is shifting the cost to the patient via high deductible health plans. While these plans are growing dramatically, the number of covered lives in 2005 was estimated at 1 to 2 million people.
In contrast the Medicare cuts are likely to quickly reduce physician supply for nearly 42 million beneficiaries. This will free up physician time to serve patients with better paying insurance status. It won't go to caring for the uninsured, unless their ER call burden grows.
The Bush plan also imposes quality standards. Early identification of health problems is critical to preventing more serious problems down the line. How will the 5.1% cut impact newly covered seniors ability to see their doctor in a timely fashion, if at all? How will those already in a practice be impacted by physicians managing their Medicare load for optimal reimbursement?
What about the people covered? Nearly 9 in 10 Medicare beneficiaries have one or more chronic disease. Most beneficiaries live on modest incomes and rely heavily on Social Security. When the Bush team starts cutting it’s these people who suffer, not the physicians.
While I am not a fan of huge physician incomes, I would much prefer the rich pay a greater share of the care for those unable to pay. Cutting taxes for the wealthy to cut benefits for the poor, elderly and disabled seems mean spirited. This will be sold as a drop in payments to already well off physicians but my guess is the people will pay the price.
I would go on about the Bush quality initiatives, but the American people clearly have seen this administration’s inability to perform competently. What it will do is create a brand new health care information industry, proliferated by for profit companies? Think of the government contractors in New Orleans post Katrina or the CPA’s contracting for rebuilding Iraq. That’s what the Bush team has for America to improve health care, a big government money funnel to Bush’s insider friends. The Carlyle Group purchased MultiPlan just months ago to have a repository for the ka-ching!
To improve quality one must understand and apply Dr. Deming's System of Profound Knowledge. Simply contracting out the job requires no knowledge of systems, variation, psychology, knowledge and their interactions. However, it gives the appearance of purposeful activity while accomplishing little. It could even make things worse.
Dr. Deming said "We are being ruined by best efforts." The Bush team certainly seems to qualify.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Those Terrorist Loose Ends May Just Dangle Awhile
White House Homeland Security Advisor Frances Fragos-Townsend said in the case of the homegrown British terror bombers that leads so far found no evidence linking their U.S. contacts to terrorist activities. She indicated the investigation would be ongoing to tie up any loose ends.
“I never, and I don’t think anybody else in this business ever assumes when you take a case down that you’ve gotten everybody. I think it’s pretty clear in this case we don’t have everybody.”
While her words may sound inspiring, Frances has been known to leave loose ends before in an investigation, the White House Lessons Learned Report crafted post Hurricane Katrina. Despite my informing her and the President shortly after the report’s issue, a loose end remains.
Fact: The White House Lessons Learned report omits any mention of the 24 patient deaths in a LifeCare hospital in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina. The report explicitly mentions a nursing home where 6 or 7 patients expired.
Fact: LifeCare Hospitals was acquired by The Carlyle Group in August 2005 shortly before Hurricane Katrina struck. The Carlyle Group brags about its "insider political connections" in its news releases. The President's father has done work for the company and many of key Republican leaders currently are employed by The Carlyle Group.
Fact: Two LifeCare executives, Donald M. Boucher and David LeBlanc, have been charged with illegal campaign contributions between April 1997 and December 2002.
Questions/Need for an Investigation:
1. Why was LifeCare omitted from the Lessons Learned report?
2. Why did the report do such a poor job of identifying responsibility for pre and post hurricane patient evacuations?
3. Why did it not assess performance of those responsibilities?
4. Does LifeCare gain by the poor quality of the LL report, from the absence of mention?
5. Do they have a better chance of defending the company in any civil suits with the federal government silent on their actions?
6. If so, did any members of LifeCare, historically known for buying influence, solicit actions or omissions from federal representatives?
7. Did any members of the famously insider connected Carlyle Group do likewise?
I have yet to hear boo from her, the President or any of the investigative organizations I contacted in this regard. Let’s hope Frances does better with the terrorist investigation than she did with my questions.
However, I am not optimistic as this administration repeatedly has proven its inability to conduct a credible investigation. Should a group of terrorists get apprehended in the follow up, my guess it will occur around a critical point in the election process. It happened in 2004 and given this bunch, it likely will occur again.
“I never, and I don’t think anybody else in this business ever assumes when you take a case down that you’ve gotten everybody. I think it’s pretty clear in this case we don’t have everybody.”
While her words may sound inspiring, Frances has been known to leave loose ends before in an investigation, the White House Lessons Learned Report crafted post Hurricane Katrina. Despite my informing her and the President shortly after the report’s issue, a loose end remains.
Fact: The White House Lessons Learned report omits any mention of the 24 patient deaths in a LifeCare hospital in New Orleans post Hurricane Katrina. The report explicitly mentions a nursing home where 6 or 7 patients expired.
Fact: LifeCare Hospitals was acquired by The Carlyle Group in August 2005 shortly before Hurricane Katrina struck. The Carlyle Group brags about its "insider political connections" in its news releases. The President's father has done work for the company and many of key Republican leaders currently are employed by The Carlyle Group.
Fact: Two LifeCare executives, Donald M. Boucher and David LeBlanc, have been charged with illegal campaign contributions between April 1997 and December 2002.
Questions/Need for an Investigation:
1. Why was LifeCare omitted from the Lessons Learned report?
2. Why did the report do such a poor job of identifying responsibility for pre and post hurricane patient evacuations?
3. Why did it not assess performance of those responsibilities?
4. Does LifeCare gain by the poor quality of the LL report, from the absence of mention?
5. Do they have a better chance of defending the company in any civil suits with the federal government silent on their actions?
6. If so, did any members of LifeCare, historically known for buying influence, solicit actions or omissions from federal representatives?
7. Did any members of the famously insider connected Carlyle Group do likewise?
I have yet to hear boo from her, the President or any of the investigative organizations I contacted in this regard. Let’s hope Frances does better with the terrorist investigation than she did with my questions.
However, I am not optimistic as this administration repeatedly has proven its inability to conduct a credible investigation. Should a group of terrorists get apprehended in the follow up, my guess it will occur around a critical point in the election process. It happened in 2004 and given this bunch, it likely will occur again.
Cease Fire Predictions: Second War Likely
Several Israeli hawks predict international troops will fail to control Hezbollah believing the cease fire will only lead to a second clash with “Tehran’s Proxy Army”. My prediction says phase 2 will involve more than the proxy. Syria and Iran will be invited to participate.
In a August 14th Time magazine interview Sec. Condoleeza Rice broached the subject of a wider war.
Time: Do you have a commitment from Israel that it won’t expand the war into Syria or Iran?
Rice: The Israelis have said publicly that they do not want to widen this war. And I take them at their word
Ah yes, but what did they say privately Dr. Rice? Did they mention their designs on Syria or Iran in either joint U.S. biannual planning meeting? Twice a year the U.S. and Israel conduct joint military and terrorism planning. Surely the topic of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran came up as two of the three are “state sponsors of terror”.
In a August 14th Time magazine interview Sec. Condoleeza Rice broached the subject of a wider war.
Time: Do you have a commitment from Israel that it won’t expand the war into Syria or Iran?
Rice: The Israelis have said publicly that they do not want to widen this war. And I take them at their word
Ah yes, but what did they say privately Dr. Rice? Did they mention their designs on Syria or Iran in either joint U.S. biannual planning meeting? Twice a year the U.S. and Israel conduct joint military and terrorism planning. Surely the topic of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran came up as two of the three are “state sponsors of terror”.
Illegal Immigrants Voting? Only in the Campaign Sewer..
Republicans have identified yet another nefarious domestic terrorist plot, this time without the help of British intelligence.
"The Pelosi game plan: Elect Heath Shuler and others like him, and take over Congress with the votes of illegal immigrants”—from an ad for Rep. Charles Taylor
Apparently Nancy Pelosi, the Congresswoman from California, is importing illegal aliens, shipping them to North Carolina, and registering them to vote for Heath Shuler! Obviously the only solution to this problem is the construction of a wall running the whole Western border of North Carolina.
Thanks to Rep. Charles Taylor for bringing this concerning issue to light. As a Congressman Rep. Taylor shows his ability to understand issue important to the American people, frame them in a rational manner, and apply his finely honed problem solving skills toward a workable solution.
The eight term incumbent has chosen to make his opponent’s Pelosi connection the only issue. Considering Charles' 16 years serving the public and the numerous challenges facing our nation, one might think more important issues would be up for discussion. What this shows is Mr. Taylor’s knowledge of how to manipulate American voters. My hope is they don’t swallow his hook, line or sinker.
"The Pelosi game plan: Elect Heath Shuler and others like him, and take over Congress with the votes of illegal immigrants”—from an ad for Rep. Charles Taylor
Apparently Nancy Pelosi, the Congresswoman from California, is importing illegal aliens, shipping them to North Carolina, and registering them to vote for Heath Shuler! Obviously the only solution to this problem is the construction of a wall running the whole Western border of North Carolina.
Thanks to Rep. Charles Taylor for bringing this concerning issue to light. As a Congressman Rep. Taylor shows his ability to understand issue important to the American people, frame them in a rational manner, and apply his finely honed problem solving skills toward a workable solution.
The eight term incumbent has chosen to make his opponent’s Pelosi connection the only issue. Considering Charles' 16 years serving the public and the numerous challenges facing our nation, one might think more important issues would be up for discussion. What this shows is Mr. Taylor’s knowledge of how to manipulate American voters. My hope is they don’t swallow his hook, line or sinker.
How Does the Bush Administration Get Credit for Stopping British Bombers?
From what I’ve read the intelligence that stymied the British bomber plot came from Pakistani and British intelligence agencies. Only two weeks ago were U.S. authorities informed. Yet, the President’s radio address gives a drastically different impression.
"We believe that this week's arrests have significantly disrupted the threat," Bush said. "Yet we cannot be sure that the threat has been eliminated."
Bush also thanked investigators in the U.S. and Britain for working together to stop the plot. White House aides said they hoped the successful investigation would dampen criticism of the administration's controversial anti-terror methods, such as secret monitoring of phone calls, e-mail and financial transactions.
What role did U.S. intelligence play in this case? And why the omission of the Pakistani intelligence that started the investigative chain rolling? I sense a spin zone, but in the ever permanent campaign led by the ever permanent campaigner, they are hard to avoid.
"We believe that this week's arrests have significantly disrupted the threat," Bush said. "Yet we cannot be sure that the threat has been eliminated."
Bush also thanked investigators in the U.S. and Britain for working together to stop the plot. White House aides said they hoped the successful investigation would dampen criticism of the administration's controversial anti-terror methods, such as secret monitoring of phone calls, e-mail and financial transactions.
What role did U.S. intelligence play in this case? And why the omission of the Pakistani intelligence that started the investigative chain rolling? I sense a spin zone, but in the ever permanent campaign led by the ever permanent campaigner, they are hard to avoid.
The Yet to Be Implemented Cease Fire?
The fighting rages on in Lebanon between the Israeli army and Hezbollah guerillas even though both parties signed off on the U.N. cease fire resolution. The Lebanese Cabinet approved the measure Saturday morning during an all out military assault by the Israelis. The Israeli Cabinet did likewise on Sunday after a stormy debate as their troops inflicted further damage in southern Lebanon. The cease fire is slated to go into effect at 8:00 am Monday morning.
But will it? Will the seemingly gratuitous violence inflicted on Saturday and Sunday burn in hearts of fighters on both sides? How easy will it be for those intent on destruction to lay down their arms as the clock ticks past 8:00?
Will the month long yet to be negotiated cease fire turn into a week’s long yet to be implemented cease fire? The Hezbollah leader said his soldiers would have the right to fight as long as Israeli troops occupied Lebanon. The deployment of Lebanese and International troops could take weeks.
The Israel leader noted their country would continue to have the right to “defend itself”. Noting a month long war arose from Israel’s right to defend itself, I wonder what new limits the cease fire brings on these two words, if any.
Might that have been one of the topics during President Bush’s phone call with the Lebanese Prime Minister?
President Bush had an 8-minute phone call Saturday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to discuss the truce. The White House said it is determined to vanquish the hold of Hezbollah - and that of its Syrian and Iranian benefactors - on the south.
"These steps are designed to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said.
As a hostage did the Prime Minister ask Bush for help? With the gun pointed at his head did Mr. Saniora reveal his captor? At the moment the kidnapper of the Lebanese democracy appears to be Israel. Did the Lebanese P.M. reveal the extremists' plot? Destruction of one of the most liberal democratic countries in the Middle East to impose Western values certainly sounds twisted, reminiscent of Vietnam when soldiers said “we destroyed the village in order to save it”.
I don’t imagine Mr. Saniora thanked President Bush for anything but not being on the call, I wouldn’t know. However, I can hazard a guess what the two Christian leaders said after they hung up and it likely had little to do with loving one’s neighbor. That message disappeared over a month ago.
But will it? Will the seemingly gratuitous violence inflicted on Saturday and Sunday burn in hearts of fighters on both sides? How easy will it be for those intent on destruction to lay down their arms as the clock ticks past 8:00?
Will the month long yet to be negotiated cease fire turn into a week’s long yet to be implemented cease fire? The Hezbollah leader said his soldiers would have the right to fight as long as Israeli troops occupied Lebanon. The deployment of Lebanese and International troops could take weeks.
The Israel leader noted their country would continue to have the right to “defend itself”. Noting a month long war arose from Israel’s right to defend itself, I wonder what new limits the cease fire brings on these two words, if any.
Might that have been one of the topics during President Bush’s phone call with the Lebanese Prime Minister?
President Bush had an 8-minute phone call Saturday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to discuss the truce. The White House said it is determined to vanquish the hold of Hezbollah - and that of its Syrian and Iranian benefactors - on the south.
"These steps are designed to stop Hezbollah from acting as a state within a state, and put an end to Iran and Syria's efforts to hold the Lebanese people hostage to their own extremist agenda," Bush said.
As a hostage did the Prime Minister ask Bush for help? With the gun pointed at his head did Mr. Saniora reveal his captor? At the moment the kidnapper of the Lebanese democracy appears to be Israel. Did the Lebanese P.M. reveal the extremists' plot? Destruction of one of the most liberal democratic countries in the Middle East to impose Western values certainly sounds twisted, reminiscent of Vietnam when soldiers said “we destroyed the village in order to save it”.
I don’t imagine Mr. Saniora thanked President Bush for anything but not being on the call, I wouldn’t know. However, I can hazard a guess what the two Christian leaders said after they hung up and it likely had little to do with loving one’s neighbor. That message disappeared over a month ago.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
U.S. Comments Prove Cease Fire is Unilateral, Like All Israeli Peace Efforts in Region
While Israel continued its widespread military assault on Southern Lebanon, U.S. leaders did their best to “verbally minimize the situation”. Sec. Rice used the words “skirmish” and “normal operations”.
Bush ever the clueless said “I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region." Had he not just spoken by phone to one of those world leaders, the one making the last heavy military push deep into Lebanon? Did they talk about the Lebanese Cabinet’s unanimous approval of the cease fire agreement?
If not, what did the speak about during their 8 minute phone call? Was it letting Rev. Robertson back into the Christian theme development near the Sea of Galilee? Pat paid his penance like a good Prodigal Son. Somehow the Christian leader missed meeting and praying with the Christian Lebanese Democratic Leader, P.M. Saniora.
Sec. Rice’s words show who is calling the shots on the peace process in the Middle East.
"My understanding is that this is part of the normal operations that were contemplated. When the cease fire - the cessation of hostilities - comes into being, Israel will stop," she said in an interview with Israel Television.
Yes, when Israel decides to stop, the cease fire will happen. P.M. Olmert already has plans for a unilateral peace with the Palestinians. It appears he will do likewise with the Lebanese democracy. I bet the Lebanese Cabinet is spitting nails, just as their neighbors. Time will show who in the region remains a U.S. ally.
Bush ever the clueless said “I now urge the international community to turn words into action and make every effort to bring lasting peace to the region." Had he not just spoken by phone to one of those world leaders, the one making the last heavy military push deep into Lebanon? Did they talk about the Lebanese Cabinet’s unanimous approval of the cease fire agreement?
If not, what did the speak about during their 8 minute phone call? Was it letting Rev. Robertson back into the Christian theme development near the Sea of Galilee? Pat paid his penance like a good Prodigal Son. Somehow the Christian leader missed meeting and praying with the Christian Lebanese Democratic Leader, P.M. Saniora.
Sec. Rice’s words show who is calling the shots on the peace process in the Middle East.
"My understanding is that this is part of the normal operations that were contemplated. When the cease fire - the cessation of hostilities - comes into being, Israel will stop," she said in an interview with Israel Television.
Yes, when Israel decides to stop, the cease fire will happen. P.M. Olmert already has plans for a unilateral peace with the Palestinians. It appears he will do likewise with the Lebanese democracy. I bet the Lebanese Cabinet is spitting nails, just as their neighbors. Time will show who in the region remains a U.S. ally.
Peace? But First a Little Ass Kicking & Maybe Some Taffy Pulling!
What happened after the Lebanese Cabinet unanimously approved the “Bush led” cease fire? According to the New York Times:
Israel poured troops, tanks and commandos into southern Lebanon on Saturday, pushing deep toward the Litani River and carrying out 80 air strikes against Hezbollah fighters, one day after a United Nations Security Council resolution called for a cease-fire. In addition, they bombed power plants in Sidon and Tyre.
The Bush/Olmert good cop/ bad cop team are at it again. While the headlines praise the cease fire (coming in the never ending day or so according to Sec. Rice), Israel continues to pound Southern Lebanon. The Good Cop’s Press Coordinator Tony Snow compared the month long diplomatic efforts to taffy pulling. How many mothers pulled their children’s arms as they fled the horrific violence? And how many of those children were still living?
The bad cop pounded the detainee behind closed doors while the good cop attended a fundraising barbecue. Do you think any of that $750,000 will go to helping Lebanese refugees? And did they do any taffy pulling at the barbecue?
Israel poured troops, tanks and commandos into southern Lebanon on Saturday, pushing deep toward the Litani River and carrying out 80 air strikes against Hezbollah fighters, one day after a United Nations Security Council resolution called for a cease-fire. In addition, they bombed power plants in Sidon and Tyre.
The Bush/Olmert good cop/ bad cop team are at it again. While the headlines praise the cease fire (coming in the never ending day or so according to Sec. Rice), Israel continues to pound Southern Lebanon. The Good Cop’s Press Coordinator Tony Snow compared the month long diplomatic efforts to taffy pulling. How many mothers pulled their children’s arms as they fled the horrific violence? And how many of those children were still living?
The bad cop pounded the detainee behind closed doors while the good cop attended a fundraising barbecue. Do you think any of that $750,000 will go to helping Lebanese refugees? And did they do any taffy pulling at the barbecue?
New Bush Law Means Some Are “Above the Law”
Nearly a year ago President Bush stated he had “zero tolerance” for people taking shoes, food, and water after a devastating natural disaster. He believes “no one is above the law”. In an Orwellian twist, the zero tolerance President wants to change the law to accomplish just that. He proposes making lawmakers free from prosecution for making illegal laws.
The Bush administration drafted amendments to the War Crimes Act that would retroactively protect policymakers from possible criminal charges for authorizing any humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees, according to lawyers who have seen the proposal.
Here’s the truly sinister part. The Bush cabal want to make the law retroactive! Any past cases would disappear courtesy of his proposed bill. That’s one way to get rid of the U.S. black eye. Tear up the pictures and act as if it never happened!
The Bush administration drafted amendments to the War Crimes Act that would retroactively protect policymakers from possible criminal charges for authorizing any humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees, according to lawyers who have seen the proposal.
Here’s the truly sinister part. The Bush cabal want to make the law retroactive! Any past cases would disappear courtesy of his proposed bill. That’s one way to get rid of the U.S. black eye. Tear up the pictures and act as if it never happened!
Another Bush Drive By
Last year President Bush sped past in a black SUV throwing dust on Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a slain U.S. soldier in Iraq. Where was he headed? To a major fundraiser, of course. The President was able to work this in before cutting his vacation short to tour the damage from Hurricane Katrina from 10,000 feet.
A year later, the plot is a bit less tasty. Cindy has a five acre plot closer to town. Widespread devastation and the killing of innocents came early this year without the help of Mother Nature. From Crawford the President worked hard on a peace plan without ever calling the elected leaders of Israel or Lebanon. However once the peace deal was struck, P.M. Olmert called Bush to say thanks for the free month to bomb Lebanon back twenty years.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Republican Party's big spenders were rewarded with a barbecue lunch with President Bush on Friday at a $750,000 fundraiser at a ranch neighboring the president's Texas home.
The fundraiser was closed to the public and the press, but the Republican National Committee reported that the attendees included 350 people who have each raised at least $15,000 for the party this cycle.
The lunch was at Stan and Kathy Hickey's Broken Spoke Ranch, a 478-acre spread next to the president's home where Bush is spending 10 days on vacation from the White House. Bush addressed to group after an introduction by RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman.
From here our country does not need another Bush drive by. Who will be in his sights next? His track record shows it will be the poor and middle class. Only his V.P. is known to accidentally shoot the rich!
A year later, the plot is a bit less tasty. Cindy has a five acre plot closer to town. Widespread devastation and the killing of innocents came early this year without the help of Mother Nature. From Crawford the President worked hard on a peace plan without ever calling the elected leaders of Israel or Lebanon. However once the peace deal was struck, P.M. Olmert called Bush to say thanks for the free month to bomb Lebanon back twenty years.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Republican Party's big spenders were rewarded with a barbecue lunch with President Bush on Friday at a $750,000 fundraiser at a ranch neighboring the president's Texas home.
The fundraiser was closed to the public and the press, but the Republican National Committee reported that the attendees included 350 people who have each raised at least $15,000 for the party this cycle.
The lunch was at Stan and Kathy Hickey's Broken Spoke Ranch, a 478-acre spread next to the president's home where Bush is spending 10 days on vacation from the White House. Bush addressed to group after an introduction by RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman.
From here our country does not need another Bush drive by. Who will be in his sights next? His track record shows it will be the poor and middle class. Only his V.P. is known to accidentally shoot the rich!
Fanning Flames of Fundamentalism
While President Bush likes to point out the threat from Islamic fundamentalists, the Christian and Jewish versions are also making hay in light of the recent conflicts in Biblical lands. A Middle Eastern think tank based in our Egyptian ally’s capital had this to say:
"The Americans are shooting themselves in the foot," Abdel Moneim Said, head of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, based in Cairo, said last week, before the U.N. deal. "The only beneficiaries of the ongoing conflict are the fundamentalists."
While he is speaking of Islamic fundamentalists as beneficiaries, my guess is the Christian and Jewish versions will also benefit. The news ran a story on Israel’s courting conservative Christian support early in their Lebanese offensive.
Rev. Ted Haggard, President of the Evangelical Association said Israeli Embassy Officials called him several times a day during the first two weeks of the conflict, asking for a public expression of support. Ted would not make a public statement in order to protect evangelical Christians in the Middle East.
However, James Dobson of Focus on the Family weighed in releasing his first comments in a statement Friday, a month after the fighting began. Dobson said the loss of life in Lebanon was "terrible," but added "there is no doubt who the aggressors are" in the war and that Israel is being threatened with "annihilation." He likened the Jewish state to "little David" facing "mighty Goliath," and asked God to intervene and "give His people a miracle on the battlefield."
"While we are praying without ceasing for the innocent victims in Lebanon, we stand firmly with Israel and the Jews," Dobson said.
Many evangelicals have individually expressed support for Israel. Evangelist Pat Robertson was in Jerusalem this week, where he joined hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to pray for victory in Lebanon.
The article closed with: "I don't think anyone doubts the great support that Israel has in the evangelical community"
It appears U.S. policy is fanning the flames of fundamentalism in the Middle East. At least that’s the view from here…
"The Americans are shooting themselves in the foot," Abdel Moneim Said, head of Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, based in Cairo, said last week, before the U.N. deal. "The only beneficiaries of the ongoing conflict are the fundamentalists."
While he is speaking of Islamic fundamentalists as beneficiaries, my guess is the Christian and Jewish versions will also benefit. The news ran a story on Israel’s courting conservative Christian support early in their Lebanese offensive.
Rev. Ted Haggard, President of the Evangelical Association said Israeli Embassy Officials called him several times a day during the first two weeks of the conflict, asking for a public expression of support. Ted would not make a public statement in order to protect evangelical Christians in the Middle East.
However, James Dobson of Focus on the Family weighed in releasing his first comments in a statement Friday, a month after the fighting began. Dobson said the loss of life in Lebanon was "terrible," but added "there is no doubt who the aggressors are" in the war and that Israel is being threatened with "annihilation." He likened the Jewish state to "little David" facing "mighty Goliath," and asked God to intervene and "give His people a miracle on the battlefield."
"While we are praying without ceasing for the innocent victims in Lebanon, we stand firmly with Israel and the Jews," Dobson said.
Many evangelicals have individually expressed support for Israel. Evangelist Pat Robertson was in Jerusalem this week, where he joined hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to pray for victory in Lebanon.
The article closed with: "I don't think anyone doubts the great support that Israel has in the evangelical community"
It appears U.S. policy is fanning the flames of fundamentalism in the Middle East. At least that’s the view from here…
Analysis: U.S. Spin on Lebanese Peace Deal
While I am most grateful for the bartered peace deal achieved in the United Nations, I am both mortified that it took over month to achieve and most curious about the U.S. media spin on the final product. An AP news article had this to say:
The United States pushed for the peace deal approved by the United Nations Security Council on Friday to stop fighting that threatened to topple Lebanon's tenuous democratic government.
The deal does not accomplish the disarmament of Hezbollah, the key goal that Bush and Rice said they sought.
How did the U.S. push for a peace deal? With the rest of the world united around an immediate cease fire, the Bush administration dragged its knuckles for a month, holding out to get its way. The U.S. eventually acquiesced to world cries for a cessation of violence.
The war started to disarm Hezbollah per Israeli leaders. As the article said, this too is a key goal for Pres. Bush and Sec. Rice. Did it take Israeli and U.S. leaders a month to find out this could not be accomplished unilaterally? Or did they use this as an excuse to drive the Lebanese economy back 20 years as suggested by an Israeli General on television day 1 of the Israeli invasion.
From here it looks like the Bush team spit and stammered for a month to get its way. When that couldn’t happen they softened their position to the month old world consensus. Thank heaven the cease fire is near, but just like Hurricane Katrina, the wait has been excruciating.
The United States pushed for the peace deal approved by the United Nations Security Council on Friday to stop fighting that threatened to topple Lebanon's tenuous democratic government.
The deal does not accomplish the disarmament of Hezbollah, the key goal that Bush and Rice said they sought.
How did the U.S. push for a peace deal? With the rest of the world united around an immediate cease fire, the Bush administration dragged its knuckles for a month, holding out to get its way. The U.S. eventually acquiesced to world cries for a cessation of violence.
The war started to disarm Hezbollah per Israeli leaders. As the article said, this too is a key goal for Pres. Bush and Sec. Rice. Did it take Israeli and U.S. leaders a month to find out this could not be accomplished unilaterally? Or did they use this as an excuse to drive the Lebanese economy back 20 years as suggested by an Israeli General on television day 1 of the Israeli invasion.
From here it looks like the Bush team spit and stammered for a month to get its way. When that couldn’t happen they softened their position to the month old world consensus. Thank heaven the cease fire is near, but just like Hurricane Katrina, the wait has been excruciating.
Bush Says Latest Terrorist Plot Came from Israeli Inflamed Lebanon?
President Bush continues to muddy the water in the world’s struggle to eliminate “terrorism” and its seeds. The latest plot came from home grown British Muslims with Al Qaeda connections, a fundamentalist Sunni Muslim group with Saudi roots.
Yet, President Bush tied this group to U.S. conflicts in the region with his comment.
They kill civilians and American servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they deliberately hide behind civilians in Lebanon.
I can understand the Afghan tie as the Taliban supported Al Qaeda. But after nearly five years of the people feeling freedom and democracy that threat should be drastically reduced. That is if freedom and democracy truly are the tonic to terrorism?
The Iraqi and Lebanese ties are more specious. How many of the British terrorist served in Iraq as freedom fighters to drive out their Western occupiers? Oopps! There’s that freedom word, but it is being used by the wrong side.
Of those that fought in Iraq, which side did they choose, Sunni or Shiite? Did any of the British home grown terrorists pick opposite sides? If so, did they shoot at each other? And how did they patch up their differences to collaborate on the trans-Atlantic flight bombings?
How many have Hezbollah and Lebanese Shiite roots? While the U.S. calls Hezbollah a terrorist group, to date that rouge band hasn’t targeted Americans according to the Director of National Intelligence. Al Qaeda and Hezbollah have historically had no relationship divided by their differing sects of Islam.
Is President Bush able to accomplish in the Middle East what he cannot in America, unite the people? His words seem to indicate such. Terrorists Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Britain and elsewhere in the world are united and gunning for us.
What he didn’t say is good investigative work caught this band of terrorists, not a war. The three places he noted have war as the solution to drive out terror. The sad thing is this President has repeatedly shown his inability to conduct credible investigations. From the CIA agent name leak to Hurricane Katrina to Torture, Secret Prisons and Spying Here at Home, President Bush has not delivered one competent investigation.
How will America do when the President lacks the one skill that seems to be making a difference in the War on Terror?
Yet, President Bush tied this group to U.S. conflicts in the region with his comment.
They kill civilians and American servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan, and they deliberately hide behind civilians in Lebanon.
I can understand the Afghan tie as the Taliban supported Al Qaeda. But after nearly five years of the people feeling freedom and democracy that threat should be drastically reduced. That is if freedom and democracy truly are the tonic to terrorism?
The Iraqi and Lebanese ties are more specious. How many of the British terrorist served in Iraq as freedom fighters to drive out their Western occupiers? Oopps! There’s that freedom word, but it is being used by the wrong side.
Of those that fought in Iraq, which side did they choose, Sunni or Shiite? Did any of the British home grown terrorists pick opposite sides? If so, did they shoot at each other? And how did they patch up their differences to collaborate on the trans-Atlantic flight bombings?
How many have Hezbollah and Lebanese Shiite roots? While the U.S. calls Hezbollah a terrorist group, to date that rouge band hasn’t targeted Americans according to the Director of National Intelligence. Al Qaeda and Hezbollah have historically had no relationship divided by their differing sects of Islam.
Is President Bush able to accomplish in the Middle East what he cannot in America, unite the people? His words seem to indicate such. Terrorists Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Britain and elsewhere in the world are united and gunning for us.
What he didn’t say is good investigative work caught this band of terrorists, not a war. The three places he noted have war as the solution to drive out terror. The sad thing is this President has repeatedly shown his inability to conduct credible investigations. From the CIA agent name leak to Hurricane Katrina to Torture, Secret Prisons and Spying Here at Home, President Bush has not delivered one competent investigation.
How will America do when the President lacks the one skill that seems to be making a difference in the War on Terror?
Friday, August 11, 2006
Bush & Olmert “Country Raiders”
This morning an image came to mind as I thought about change. Lasting change comes from the inside whether it is an individual, a corporation or a country. Change imposed from the outside is usually resisted with great effort.
I thought about several of my past employers. The most traumatic times occurred during changes of ownership. What would the new corporate raiders do once they got control?
Modern raiders buy companies to release their inherent values. This is achieved via a myriad of strategies, spinning off underperforming or non-strategic divisions, outsourcing production to low cost areas of the world (India or China), and layoffs.
Slashing, cutting and spinning off, we have returned to the days of Ghengis Khan. Our government is no exception to the trend. It contracts our work to the private sector it previously performed.
Yet, it expresses itself on an even greater level. Today, the U.S. is a "country raider", imposing regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq. Change came from the outside and its hold is yet to take.
Dir. of National Intelligence John Negroponte in his 2006 Afghan assessment mentioned the rising background resistance. What he didn't mention was 40% unemployment and lack of economic progress. Neighboring Iran has less than 10% unemployment and many Afghans cross the border in search of work. Sound familiar, does Mexico/U.S. come to mind?
The whole deal in Lebanon is "country raiding" by America's proxy Israel. Israeli P.M. Olmert raised the sword again this morning saying he would continue the offensive not happy with aspects of the cease fire. The United States had over a month to weigh in on this offensive through the U.N. Instead the Bush team blocked for Olmert at every turn.
Their swords raised, the innocent people fall, and all for what? Given the state of world bleedership, I fear how far will the country raiding will go?
I thought about several of my past employers. The most traumatic times occurred during changes of ownership. What would the new corporate raiders do once they got control?
Modern raiders buy companies to release their inherent values. This is achieved via a myriad of strategies, spinning off underperforming or non-strategic divisions, outsourcing production to low cost areas of the world (India or China), and layoffs.
Slashing, cutting and spinning off, we have returned to the days of Ghengis Khan. Our government is no exception to the trend. It contracts our work to the private sector it previously performed.
Yet, it expresses itself on an even greater level. Today, the U.S. is a "country raider", imposing regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq. Change came from the outside and its hold is yet to take.
Dir. of National Intelligence John Negroponte in his 2006 Afghan assessment mentioned the rising background resistance. What he didn't mention was 40% unemployment and lack of economic progress. Neighboring Iran has less than 10% unemployment and many Afghans cross the border in search of work. Sound familiar, does Mexico/U.S. come to mind?
The whole deal in Lebanon is "country raiding" by America's proxy Israel. Israeli P.M. Olmert raised the sword again this morning saying he would continue the offensive not happy with aspects of the cease fire. The United States had over a month to weigh in on this offensive through the U.N. Instead the Bush team blocked for Olmert at every turn.
Their swords raised, the innocent people fall, and all for what? Given the state of world bleedership, I fear how far will the country raiding will go?
Sen. Cornyn Cites New Terrorist Connections?
In response to the terrorist plan to simultaneously blow up multiple trans-Atlantic flights via chemical bombs mixed on the plane, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas had this to offer:
The Islamic extremists attacking our troops—troops who are bringing democracy to Iraq—are the same Islamic extremists who are seeking to attack and bring down the airplanes over our homeland.
Does anyone find this unsettling? Did Senator Cornyn just say invading Iraq grew the number of terrorists? How many of the suspected “home grown” British terrorists have an Iraqi family lineage? How many flew to Iraq to fight in solidarity with their Sunni or Shiite brothers?
Of those that went, which side did they choose, Sunni or Shiite? Did any on opposite sides try to kill the other? If so, how did they patch up their differences such that they could plot against the United States?
He did fail to mention the method for finding these terrorists who wish to do us harm, good police work. British and Pakistani Intelligence pieced together the plot. They did so without invading any countries or bombing them back twenty years.
It’s a good thing the Senator did not mention, Hezbollah or Hamas, currently under the fist of the Israeli war machine. The United States considers both groups terrorists though up to now they have not targeted Americans. How might that change with President Bush’s ardent support for the Israeli intrusion into democratic Lebanon?
President Bush did put them all in the same big basket when he said “This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.”
The war tactic sounds great until you consider the impact of freedom in Iraq. With some 130,000 liberators under fire in the now democratic Iraq, American troops watch the population split in a most heinous manner. The latest post from Baghdad Burning shows most Iraqis are taking advantage of this newfound freedom, by fleeing the country.
The Islamic extremists attacking our troops—troops who are bringing democracy to Iraq—are the same Islamic extremists who are seeking to attack and bring down the airplanes over our homeland.
Does anyone find this unsettling? Did Senator Cornyn just say invading Iraq grew the number of terrorists? How many of the suspected “home grown” British terrorists have an Iraqi family lineage? How many flew to Iraq to fight in solidarity with their Sunni or Shiite brothers?
Of those that went, which side did they choose, Sunni or Shiite? Did any on opposite sides try to kill the other? If so, how did they patch up their differences such that they could plot against the United States?
He did fail to mention the method for finding these terrorists who wish to do us harm, good police work. British and Pakistani Intelligence pieced together the plot. They did so without invading any countries or bombing them back twenty years.
It’s a good thing the Senator did not mention, Hezbollah or Hamas, currently under the fist of the Israeli war machine. The United States considers both groups terrorists though up to now they have not targeted Americans. How might that change with President Bush’s ardent support for the Israeli intrusion into democratic Lebanon?
President Bush did put them all in the same big basket when he said “This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.”
The war tactic sounds great until you consider the impact of freedom in Iraq. With some 130,000 liberators under fire in the now democratic Iraq, American troops watch the population split in a most heinous manner. The latest post from Baghdad Burning shows most Iraqis are taking advantage of this newfound freedom, by fleeing the country.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Airport Double Inspection Reflex Action?
"Rational behavior requires theory. Reactive behavior requires only reflex action."-W. Edwards Deming
Dr. Deming, the leadership guru, taught leaders a body of theory that, if applied, could help their organizations be successful. Systems theory is one of the four components of his System of Profound Knowledge. Inspection as the main method of ensuring quality is flawed in many ways. First it does not catch all the problems. No matter how good the inspector, poor products or services get through. Second, it does not remove the causes of poor quality.
However inspection may be necessary if the cost of one bad event is great. The cost of a terrorist attack certainly could qualify for inspection, however leadership should understand it does not ensure quality. Dr. Deming had this to say about inspection in his last book The New Economics: For Industry, Government, and Education, “Dependence on inspection is hazardous and costly”. Our nation’s airline system just instituted double inspection for air passenger screening.
Beginning Friday, airline passengers will go through double screening to make sure they're not carrying liquids onto planes, the head of the airline industry's largest trade group said.
Passengers and their carry-on luggage will be checked not only at the main security checkpoint, but also a second time at the boarding gate. The stepped-up screening in response to a new terrorist threat began Thursday at 25 airports where planes leave for Britain.
"It's going to spread across the whole system tomorrow," James May, president of the Air Transport Association, said Thursday.
When I heard our federal government would be ensuring airline safety via this method I wondered, who is running the ship? As Dr. Deming said “we are being ruined by best efforts”. What impact will this “good idea” have on performance and costs?
The good Dr. passed away over 10 years ago. I wonder what the guru would’ve thought of the following statement.
But Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University, said it makes sense to insert "uncertainty and randomness into the system so we can't let the adversary game the system."
My guess is Dr. Deming would wonder if the system to confuse terrorists might also confuse employees. He likely would advise eliminating the problem further upstream than the gate of an airplane. What systems exist to identify terrorists before they arrive at an airport?
Another area of Profound Knowledge is variation, of which there are two types. Different management strategies are required depending on the type of variation present. He said “Confusing common causes with special causes will only make things worse.”
When special causes exist the best strategy is to act directly on the special cause. The theory of variation can be used when data is unavailable. “Terrorists attacking the air transit system” is not a regular occurrence, nor are there very many of them given the large number of people who travel every day.
Changing the system for a special cause is the wrong strategy and is very costly. Post 9-11 the Bush administration changed the system instituting mass security screening of all passengers. While this may be necessary to prevent the high cost outcome, it does not remove the special causes. They still exist. A different strategy is needed, one that deals directly with the special cause.
The Bush administration will spend more money for less effective airline safety performance. At least that’s the prediction from here. Isn’t this how Bin Laden sank Russia, by making the cost of war so great? As the U.S. throws money hand over fist at war and security, our leaders actually are making us less safe. Somehow my gut already knew that.
As Dr. Deming said “There is a penalty for ignorance. We are paying through the nose.” The last two areas of Profound Knowledge are Psychology and Knowledge. There is also the interaction of the 4 areas to consider. President Bush as “Leader of the Free World”wanting to win the “hearts and minds” of people worldwide, might want to bone up on this important body of leadership theory.
The good news is the Bush administration can attend a Deming Institute seminar to learn about faulty management practices in October. The program is even being held in Washington, DC so they don’t have far to go!
Dr. Deming, the leadership guru, taught leaders a body of theory that, if applied, could help their organizations be successful. Systems theory is one of the four components of his System of Profound Knowledge. Inspection as the main method of ensuring quality is flawed in many ways. First it does not catch all the problems. No matter how good the inspector, poor products or services get through. Second, it does not remove the causes of poor quality.
However inspection may be necessary if the cost of one bad event is great. The cost of a terrorist attack certainly could qualify for inspection, however leadership should understand it does not ensure quality. Dr. Deming had this to say about inspection in his last book The New Economics: For Industry, Government, and Education, “Dependence on inspection is hazardous and costly”. Our nation’s airline system just instituted double inspection for air passenger screening.
Beginning Friday, airline passengers will go through double screening to make sure they're not carrying liquids onto planes, the head of the airline industry's largest trade group said.
Passengers and their carry-on luggage will be checked not only at the main security checkpoint, but also a second time at the boarding gate. The stepped-up screening in response to a new terrorist threat began Thursday at 25 airports where planes leave for Britain.
"It's going to spread across the whole system tomorrow," James May, president of the Air Transport Association, said Thursday.
When I heard our federal government would be ensuring airline safety via this method I wondered, who is running the ship? As Dr. Deming said “we are being ruined by best efforts”. What impact will this “good idea” have on performance and costs?
The good Dr. passed away over 10 years ago. I wonder what the guru would’ve thought of the following statement.
But Frank Cilluffo, director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University, said it makes sense to insert "uncertainty and randomness into the system so we can't let the adversary game the system."
My guess is Dr. Deming would wonder if the system to confuse terrorists might also confuse employees. He likely would advise eliminating the problem further upstream than the gate of an airplane. What systems exist to identify terrorists before they arrive at an airport?
Another area of Profound Knowledge is variation, of which there are two types. Different management strategies are required depending on the type of variation present. He said “Confusing common causes with special causes will only make things worse.”
When special causes exist the best strategy is to act directly on the special cause. The theory of variation can be used when data is unavailable. “Terrorists attacking the air transit system” is not a regular occurrence, nor are there very many of them given the large number of people who travel every day.
Changing the system for a special cause is the wrong strategy and is very costly. Post 9-11 the Bush administration changed the system instituting mass security screening of all passengers. While this may be necessary to prevent the high cost outcome, it does not remove the special causes. They still exist. A different strategy is needed, one that deals directly with the special cause.
The Bush administration will spend more money for less effective airline safety performance. At least that’s the prediction from here. Isn’t this how Bin Laden sank Russia, by making the cost of war so great? As the U.S. throws money hand over fist at war and security, our leaders actually are making us less safe. Somehow my gut already knew that.
As Dr. Deming said “There is a penalty for ignorance. We are paying through the nose.” The last two areas of Profound Knowledge are Psychology and Knowledge. There is also the interaction of the 4 areas to consider. President Bush as “Leader of the Free World”wanting to win the “hearts and minds” of people worldwide, might want to bone up on this important body of leadership theory.
The good news is the Bush administration can attend a Deming Institute seminar to learn about faulty management practices in October. The program is even being held in Washington, DC so they don’t have far to go!
Are We Safer than Just After 9-11?
President Bush today spoke on the disrupted terrorist plot to blow up trans-Atlantic air flights. In doing so he said:
This country is safer than it was prior to 9-11, we've taken a lot of measures to protect the American people but obviously we're not completely safe. ... It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America.
The president laid the blame for the would-be attack squarely on al-Qaeda-type terrorism.
This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.
Our President likes data, measures to gauge performance and success. How many terrorists were gunning for the U.S. around 9-11? The worldwide outpouring of support seemed significant after the terrorist attack.
The baseline would be the Intelligence analysis from 2002 and its follow up questions. Highlights from this report include:
1. We assess that Iraq retains a small force of Scud-type missiles similar to the type used to strike Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain during the Gulf war. Iraq is capable of producing and delivering both chemical and biological weapons with ballistic missiles, aircraft and artillery. Iraq continues to build and expand an infrastructure capable of producing WMD. Baghdad is expanding its civilian chemical industry in ways that could be diverted quickly to CW agent production, and retains a significant amount of dual-use infrastructure that could support a rejuvenated nuclear program.
2. The nature of post-Saddam Iraq would depend on how and when Saddam left the scene, but any new regime in Baghdad would have to overcome significant obstacles to achieve stability.
3. While we are striking major blows against al-Qa'ida--the preeminent global terrorist threat--the underlying causes that drive terrorists will persist. Several troublesome global trends--especially the growing demographic youth bulge in developing nations whose economic systems and political ideologies are under enormous stress--will fuel the rise of more disaffected groups willing to use violence to address their perceived grievances.
4. According to press, in a recent Gallup poll of nearly 10,000 Muslims in nine countries, respondents described the United States as "ruthless, aggressive, conceited, arrogant, easily provoked, and biased." Saudi Arabia was among the countries where the respondents registered the most negative views.
5. CIA's counterterrorist campaign will focus on eliminating the al-Qa'ida terrorist threat while intensifying our operations against other terrorist groups. We will seek to apprehend al-Qa'ida members wherever they might be, to undermine al-Qa'ida's ability to carry out terrorist acts, and to prevent the terrorists from developing more sophisticated means of terrorist attack.
The medal winning George Tenet, CIA Director, gave this assessment in 2004 of America’s terrorist threat.
“…last year I described a national security environment that was significantly more complex than at any time during my tenure as Director of Central Intelligence. The world I will discuss today is equally, if not more, complicated and fraught with dangers for United States interests, but one that also holds great opportunity for positive change.”
The Iraqi debacle becomes clear when his remarks are evaluated in light of current conditions. He speaks of the ongoing search for WMD and of sectarian divisions. We know today that no weapons of mass destruction existed, despite the President’s insinuations otherwise. The degenerating sectarian violence threatens both Iraq’s and the region’s stability as predicted by the Saudi Foreign Minister prior to the U.S. invasion. Mr. Tenet also weighed in eloquently on the Iraqi reconstruction:
But reconstruction progress and Iraq's own considerable assets—its natural resources and its educated populace—should enable the Iraqis to see important improvement in 2004 in their infrastructure and their quality of life.
Over the next few years, they'll open more hospitals and build more roads than anyone born under Saddam has witnessed.
The recovery of Iraqi oil production will help. Production is on track to approach 3.0 million barrels per day by the end of this year. Iraq hasn't produced this much oil since before the 1991 Gulf war. By next year, revenues from oil exports should cover the cost of basic government operations and contribute several billion dollars toward reconstruction.
I tried to get more current speeches or testimony on this issue at the CIA website. The link to the 2005 testimony from Porter Goss did not work. Any particular reason why? Funny how a little keyboard tracked down that missing information. The CIA Director’s testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2005 doesn’t speak to the size or scope of worldwide terrorist threats to the U.S. However, it did mention Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist groups. Mr. Goss said neither currently targeted the United States or its citizens. He noted that could change at any time.
FBI Director, Robert Meuller’s testimony reinforced the small risk from members of Hamas or Hezbollah. Does anyone think our knuckle dragging on the U.N. Resolution calling for cease fire in Lebanon will cause them to change their minds?
Since Porter’s testimony in February of 2005 Afghanistan’s “low level insurgency” has grown substantially. Mr. Goss’s report was much less optimistic on Iraq than Mr. Tenet’s.
“The lack of security is hurting Iraq’s reconstruction efforts, and economic development, causing overall growth to proceed at a much slower pace than analysts expected a year ago.”
Reading all the testimony from 2005, the main terrorist threat to the U.S. is al Qaeda and their Sunni allied fringe groups spawned in Iraq. Hezbollah and the Palestinian groups are not aligned with them. How might this change with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon?
The 2006 assessment came from the third different person in three years. John Negroponte delivered the update to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He stated “Most Muslims reject the extremist message and violent agendas of the global jihadists”.
On Iraq’s reconstruction, Mr. Negroponte seemed rather concerned saying:
“Prospects for economic development in 2006 are constrained by the unstable security situation, insufficient commitment to economic reform, and corruption.”
What a change a few years makes? Despite my research, my questions remain unanswered. How many terrorists have concerns with the United States now? What are the CIA’s estimates? Is that number larger or smaller than just after 9-11?
This country is safer than it was prior to 9-11, we've taken a lot of measures to protect the American people but obviously we're not completely safe. ... It is a mistake to believe there is no threat to the United States of America.
The president laid the blame for the would-be attack squarely on al-Qaeda-type terrorism.
This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.
Our President likes data, measures to gauge performance and success. How many terrorists were gunning for the U.S. around 9-11? The worldwide outpouring of support seemed significant after the terrorist attack.
The baseline would be the Intelligence analysis from 2002 and its follow up questions. Highlights from this report include:
1. We assess that Iraq retains a small force of Scud-type missiles similar to the type used to strike Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain during the Gulf war. Iraq is capable of producing and delivering both chemical and biological weapons with ballistic missiles, aircraft and artillery. Iraq continues to build and expand an infrastructure capable of producing WMD. Baghdad is expanding its civilian chemical industry in ways that could be diverted quickly to CW agent production, and retains a significant amount of dual-use infrastructure that could support a rejuvenated nuclear program.
2. The nature of post-Saddam Iraq would depend on how and when Saddam left the scene, but any new regime in Baghdad would have to overcome significant obstacles to achieve stability.
3. While we are striking major blows against al-Qa'ida--the preeminent global terrorist threat--the underlying causes that drive terrorists will persist. Several troublesome global trends--especially the growing demographic youth bulge in developing nations whose economic systems and political ideologies are under enormous stress--will fuel the rise of more disaffected groups willing to use violence to address their perceived grievances.
4. According to press, in a recent Gallup poll of nearly 10,000 Muslims in nine countries, respondents described the United States as "ruthless, aggressive, conceited, arrogant, easily provoked, and biased." Saudi Arabia was among the countries where the respondents registered the most negative views.
5. CIA's counterterrorist campaign will focus on eliminating the al-Qa'ida terrorist threat while intensifying our operations against other terrorist groups. We will seek to apprehend al-Qa'ida members wherever they might be, to undermine al-Qa'ida's ability to carry out terrorist acts, and to prevent the terrorists from developing more sophisticated means of terrorist attack.
The medal winning George Tenet, CIA Director, gave this assessment in 2004 of America’s terrorist threat.
“…last year I described a national security environment that was significantly more complex than at any time during my tenure as Director of Central Intelligence. The world I will discuss today is equally, if not more, complicated and fraught with dangers for United States interests, but one that also holds great opportunity for positive change.”
The Iraqi debacle becomes clear when his remarks are evaluated in light of current conditions. He speaks of the ongoing search for WMD and of sectarian divisions. We know today that no weapons of mass destruction existed, despite the President’s insinuations otherwise. The degenerating sectarian violence threatens both Iraq’s and the region’s stability as predicted by the Saudi Foreign Minister prior to the U.S. invasion. Mr. Tenet also weighed in eloquently on the Iraqi reconstruction:
But reconstruction progress and Iraq's own considerable assets—its natural resources and its educated populace—should enable the Iraqis to see important improvement in 2004 in their infrastructure and their quality of life.
Over the next few years, they'll open more hospitals and build more roads than anyone born under Saddam has witnessed.
The recovery of Iraqi oil production will help. Production is on track to approach 3.0 million barrels per day by the end of this year. Iraq hasn't produced this much oil since before the 1991 Gulf war. By next year, revenues from oil exports should cover the cost of basic government operations and contribute several billion dollars toward reconstruction.
I tried to get more current speeches or testimony on this issue at the CIA website. The link to the 2005 testimony from Porter Goss did not work. Any particular reason why? Funny how a little keyboard tracked down that missing information. The CIA Director’s testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2005 doesn’t speak to the size or scope of worldwide terrorist threats to the U.S. However, it did mention Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist groups. Mr. Goss said neither currently targeted the United States or its citizens. He noted that could change at any time.
FBI Director, Robert Meuller’s testimony reinforced the small risk from members of Hamas or Hezbollah. Does anyone think our knuckle dragging on the U.N. Resolution calling for cease fire in Lebanon will cause them to change their minds?
Since Porter’s testimony in February of 2005 Afghanistan’s “low level insurgency” has grown substantially. Mr. Goss’s report was much less optimistic on Iraq than Mr. Tenet’s.
“The lack of security is hurting Iraq’s reconstruction efforts, and economic development, causing overall growth to proceed at a much slower pace than analysts expected a year ago.”
Reading all the testimony from 2005, the main terrorist threat to the U.S. is al Qaeda and their Sunni allied fringe groups spawned in Iraq. Hezbollah and the Palestinian groups are not aligned with them. How might this change with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon?
The 2006 assessment came from the third different person in three years. John Negroponte delivered the update to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He stated “Most Muslims reject the extremist message and violent agendas of the global jihadists”.
On Iraq’s reconstruction, Mr. Negroponte seemed rather concerned saying:
“Prospects for economic development in 2006 are constrained by the unstable security situation, insufficient commitment to economic reform, and corruption.”
What a change a few years makes? Despite my research, my questions remain unanswered. How many terrorists have concerns with the United States now? What are the CIA’s estimates? Is that number larger or smaller than just after 9-11?
Hard to Draw 1 Million Christians a Year to a Park in Rocket Range
After watching Rev. Robertson’s interview with CNN last night, something stuck in my craw. Why would an Evangelical Christian beat our President to punch in directly communicating with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, a month into an all out war on neighboring Lebanon? Why would Mr. Olmert agree to meet with Rev. Pat after his comments regarding the striken Ariel Sharon? Then it hit me!
After Pat’s faux pas, the Israeli Tourism Minister excluded the CBN founder from participating in the new Christian Theme Park next to the Sea of Galilee. The $60 million Galilee World Heritage Center will happen with or without Pat. However, rich Christian tourists don’t particularly want to be within Katyusha rocket range of Hezbollah or under threat from Syria given Israel’s occupation of the very nearby Golan Heights.
To turn the historical area into a tourist cash cow means clearing out neighboring threats. Hezbollah would need to be driven from the border and Syria would need to be neutralized. Then hoards of devoted Christians can spend their hard earned money at the Galilee World Heritage Center, walking the same trails Jesus tread 2,000 years ago.
Why did Pat come visit? Is he back in on the development or was this trip to pave the way for his Prodigal Son like return? Did he come to represent President Bush as Secretary of Faith? Or does Pat have new plans for the center, highlighting the Christian leadership center, aptly named the “Bush Center for Christian Bleedership”? Was he offering to make it a Judeo-Christian center and add Olmert’s name?
Nothing would surprise me nowadays, but be sure to look for Pat’s re-inclusion into the Galilee development. The religion of free markets has become intertwined with Christianity. Was that part of what God called good? Likely not, as the early Christian communities had a common pot or till. That’s what missing nowadays, the appreciation that all are loved Children of God. Concrete actions are being taken to the contrary and Pat’s leading the way.
After Pat’s faux pas, the Israeli Tourism Minister excluded the CBN founder from participating in the new Christian Theme Park next to the Sea of Galilee. The $60 million Galilee World Heritage Center will happen with or without Pat. However, rich Christian tourists don’t particularly want to be within Katyusha rocket range of Hezbollah or under threat from Syria given Israel’s occupation of the very nearby Golan Heights.
To turn the historical area into a tourist cash cow means clearing out neighboring threats. Hezbollah would need to be driven from the border and Syria would need to be neutralized. Then hoards of devoted Christians can spend their hard earned money at the Galilee World Heritage Center, walking the same trails Jesus tread 2,000 years ago.
Why did Pat come visit? Is he back in on the development or was this trip to pave the way for his Prodigal Son like return? Did he come to represent President Bush as Secretary of Faith? Or does Pat have new plans for the center, highlighting the Christian leadership center, aptly named the “Bush Center for Christian Bleedership”? Was he offering to make it a Judeo-Christian center and add Olmert’s name?
Nothing would surprise me nowadays, but be sure to look for Pat’s re-inclusion into the Galilee development. The religion of free markets has become intertwined with Christianity. Was that part of what God called good? Likely not, as the early Christian communities had a common pot or till. That’s what missing nowadays, the appreciation that all are loved Children of God. Concrete actions are being taken to the contrary and Pat’s leading the way.
Birthing New Middle East via C-Section with No Anesthesia
Knuckle dragging OB/GYN President George W. Bush wants to deliver a “new Middle East”. Sec of State Condi Rice called the current violence “birth pangs”. His partner British PM Tony Blair says it will teach the newborn “Western values”. The anesthesiologist, numb to the pain of others, is Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister.
The questions in my mind are how long will the labor be and what will be delivered? The labor appears to be progressing slowly. After a month of fighting the United Nations is yet to weigh in on this critical matter. Held up by one country the United States, the UN should consider changing its name. Might the “United Station” be more reflective? They need to scrub up and assemble the team if they plan on delivering this baby.
Nurse midwife John Bolton, appears to be arguing with the patient. As a result the mother’s blood pressure rises dangerously. It’s time for a C-Section. Anesthesiologist Ehud Olmert cannot be found, the procedure must go on. OB George Bush pulls out the knife, makes the incision on the now screaming mother. In minutes the doctor pulls the writhing infant free. The strangest thing happens. After cutting the umbilical cord to the mother, George hooks the cord up to himself.
Rather than Rosemary’s baby, the new Middle East will be George’s baby. With Tony Blair and Ehud Olmert eager to help out I can see a movie in the future, Three Men and a Baby. Or its It The Omen?
The current occupants of the old Middle East aren’t so happy about the current events. President Bush’s long time friend Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faisal is tired of having his advice ignored by Bush and company.
“We would like to return to the old Middle East, because we don't see anything in the new Middle East apart from more problems," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal. The Lebanon conflict has sparked a wave of anti-U.S. sentiment in the region, with frequent protests in moderate states like Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait. The anger - also focused at Arab governments - threatens to boost the appeal of Islamic fundamentalists, many warn. The bloodshed has also given American calls for democracy a bad name and has left activists disillusioned.
As for Lebanon, how will previous non Hezbollah supporters react to Israel’s destruction of their communities, of their nation? Yes, Condi, George, Ehud, and Tony are yet to choose a name for the new tyke. The way things are going (and have gone for 3 years in Iraq), if it’s a girl, I suggest Rosemary, if it’s a boy, I’d go with Damien.
The questions in my mind are how long will the labor be and what will be delivered? The labor appears to be progressing slowly. After a month of fighting the United Nations is yet to weigh in on this critical matter. Held up by one country the United States, the UN should consider changing its name. Might the “United Station” be more reflective? They need to scrub up and assemble the team if they plan on delivering this baby.
Nurse midwife John Bolton, appears to be arguing with the patient. As a result the mother’s blood pressure rises dangerously. It’s time for a C-Section. Anesthesiologist Ehud Olmert cannot be found, the procedure must go on. OB George Bush pulls out the knife, makes the incision on the now screaming mother. In minutes the doctor pulls the writhing infant free. The strangest thing happens. After cutting the umbilical cord to the mother, George hooks the cord up to himself.
Rather than Rosemary’s baby, the new Middle East will be George’s baby. With Tony Blair and Ehud Olmert eager to help out I can see a movie in the future, Three Men and a Baby. Or its It The Omen?
The current occupants of the old Middle East aren’t so happy about the current events. President Bush’s long time friend Saudi Foreign Minister al-Faisal is tired of having his advice ignored by Bush and company.
“We would like to return to the old Middle East, because we don't see anything in the new Middle East apart from more problems," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal. The Lebanon conflict has sparked a wave of anti-U.S. sentiment in the region, with frequent protests in moderate states like Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait. The anger - also focused at Arab governments - threatens to boost the appeal of Islamic fundamentalists, many warn. The bloodshed has also given American calls for democracy a bad name and has left activists disillusioned.
As for Lebanon, how will previous non Hezbollah supporters react to Israel’s destruction of their communities, of their nation? Yes, Condi, George, Ehud, and Tony are yet to choose a name for the new tyke. The way things are going (and have gone for 3 years in Iraq), if it’s a girl, I suggest Rosemary, if it’s a boy, I’d go with Damien.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
What Didn’t Make a Big Splash, Tormentor Retires, White House Advisor Pleads Guilty
The pro-torture Bush administration just lost one its greatest innovators, Major General Geoffrey Miller. He retired rather than face rebuke for his implementing controversial interrogation techniques at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. In typical Bush fashion the General was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for being a good foot soldier in the Cheney torture initiative.
Claude Allen, the White House Domestic Policy Advisor, plead guilty to theft for defrauding Target Stores. He would purchase the item, take it to his car then come back in the store, take another item off the shelf and return that one for a full refund. Being the stand up moral person Claude did what most of the Bush team do when they get in trouble. He blamed it on other factors! In his case it was job stress and sleep deprivation in dealing with the fallout from Katrina.
I can see how being the Bush domestic policy advisor would be stressful if one was interested in helping the people. If one had a cold heart, the job should have been cake. Bush’s healthcare plan is to shift the burden of care to the patient, plain and simple. From HSA’s to Medicaid/Medicare Modernization, more costs are being born by those covered to the extent that people will drop off their rolls.
I didn’t see Claude in any pictures with the President in New Orleans. Sec. Cherthoff, Rumsfeld and V.P. Cheney got their mug shots with the Pres. Was Mr. Allen on the plane ride back from Crawford when Air Force One dipped its wings to the people below?
Let’s see Hurricane Katrina struck in late August and Mr. Allen was arrested in January for behavior from October 29th to January 2nd? He purchased a million dollar home in October. If life had been that stressful could he not have postponed the move?
Attributing responsibility elsewhere is a common Bush tactic. Claude learned it from the best. The problem is one has to face a problem to deal with it. He’ll need to drop all his political training to have a chance at success. I wish him that.
Claude Allen, the White House Domestic Policy Advisor, plead guilty to theft for defrauding Target Stores. He would purchase the item, take it to his car then come back in the store, take another item off the shelf and return that one for a full refund. Being the stand up moral person Claude did what most of the Bush team do when they get in trouble. He blamed it on other factors! In his case it was job stress and sleep deprivation in dealing with the fallout from Katrina.
I can see how being the Bush domestic policy advisor would be stressful if one was interested in helping the people. If one had a cold heart, the job should have been cake. Bush’s healthcare plan is to shift the burden of care to the patient, plain and simple. From HSA’s to Medicaid/Medicare Modernization, more costs are being born by those covered to the extent that people will drop off their rolls.
I didn’t see Claude in any pictures with the President in New Orleans. Sec. Cherthoff, Rumsfeld and V.P. Cheney got their mug shots with the Pres. Was Mr. Allen on the plane ride back from Crawford when Air Force One dipped its wings to the people below?
Let’s see Hurricane Katrina struck in late August and Mr. Allen was arrested in January for behavior from October 29th to January 2nd? He purchased a million dollar home in October. If life had been that stressful could he not have postponed the move?
Attributing responsibility elsewhere is a common Bush tactic. Claude learned it from the best. The problem is one has to face a problem to deal with it. He’ll need to drop all his political training to have a chance at success. I wish him that.
Really Bad News, Rev. Robertson Meets with Israeli PM before Pres. Bush
Why would an Evangelical Christian meet with the Israeli Prime Minister a month into its war on Lebanon? Even more puzzling; why would he beat the U.S. President to the punch? Adding to bizarreness of it all, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer spent 5 minutes of his Situation Room interviewing Rev. Pat.
I can only guess as to possible answers to these questions. Pat met with Ehud Olmert to support the Jewish state per Old Testament scripture. This after dissing the previous PM, Ariel Sharon for giving away Biblical lands, thus God struck him with a brain hemorrhage. That faux pas shut Pat out of a Christian themed real estate development. Want to bet Pat gets back in the deal after shaking hands with the Jewish leader passing his blessing on the carnage? The other reason Pat went to the region is to see what hell on earth looks like.
As for President Bush, months ago I posited whether any federal research money was going to climate research, specifically whether the heat in Hell happened to be dry or moist. I wondered if Rev. Pat’s University got the contract for modeling Hell. With the results of such a study, global warming could be put into better perspective. My guess is Bush wanted to get a report from his Secretary of Faith, Rev. Robertson before he stuck his toe into the boiling cauldron of fundamentalist Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
Once Rev. Pat gives his report, Bush might just pick up the phone. I wonder what Pat will tell George about those Lebanese Christians. Funny he didn’t mention them once on CNN.
Twenty six years ago, I graduated from the University of Virginia. Ted Turner has this crazy idea of 24 hour news. Katie Couric, the RA in my dorm as a first year Wahoo, had yet to hit the big time. And any major news station avoided the Revs. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson like the plague.
What happened that every time a leader fails the people and incites violence or Mother Nature takes a swipe at something, one of these bozos is on the tube providing “divine interpretation”? They are like that pesticide commercial with the cockroach on the screen. I keep smacking it and it won’t go away!”
Guess who formed about the same time? The Moral Majority, the Family Research Council, the Federalist Society and Hezbollah, most in the early 1980’s. Something funny must have been in the water back then, and it’s aged in distinctly fundamental way.
I can only guess as to possible answers to these questions. Pat met with Ehud Olmert to support the Jewish state per Old Testament scripture. This after dissing the previous PM, Ariel Sharon for giving away Biblical lands, thus God struck him with a brain hemorrhage. That faux pas shut Pat out of a Christian themed real estate development. Want to bet Pat gets back in the deal after shaking hands with the Jewish leader passing his blessing on the carnage? The other reason Pat went to the region is to see what hell on earth looks like.
As for President Bush, months ago I posited whether any federal research money was going to climate research, specifically whether the heat in Hell happened to be dry or moist. I wondered if Rev. Pat’s University got the contract for modeling Hell. With the results of such a study, global warming could be put into better perspective. My guess is Bush wanted to get a report from his Secretary of Faith, Rev. Robertson before he stuck his toe into the boiling cauldron of fundamentalist Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.
Once Rev. Pat gives his report, Bush might just pick up the phone. I wonder what Pat will tell George about those Lebanese Christians. Funny he didn’t mention them once on CNN.
Twenty six years ago, I graduated from the University of Virginia. Ted Turner has this crazy idea of 24 hour news. Katie Couric, the RA in my dorm as a first year Wahoo, had yet to hit the big time. And any major news station avoided the Revs. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson like the plague.
What happened that every time a leader fails the people and incites violence or Mother Nature takes a swipe at something, one of these bozos is on the tube providing “divine interpretation”? They are like that pesticide commercial with the cockroach on the screen. I keep smacking it and it won’t go away!”
Guess who formed about the same time? The Moral Majority, the Family Research Council, the Federalist Society and Hezbollah, most in the early 1980’s. Something funny must have been in the water back then, and it’s aged in distinctly fundamental way.
Big Oil Likes Red Republicans, How Far Will They Go?
For the 2006 election cycle oil companies have donated nearly $7 million to candidates with over 80% or $5.7 million targeted to Republicans. I live in a decidedly red area and recently noticed strange behavior in regard to our local gas prices. As oil nears its record cost per barrel, our gas prices seemed artificially low.
Two days ago I filled up for $2.79 a gallon. Since then BP shuttered their Alaskan oil pipeline, removing 8% of our domestic daily production. Today while running errands, I found I could get gas for that same amount, $2.79 per gallon. Last fall I paid well over $3 a gallon (with similar prices for a barrel of oil as today).
Earlier this year I made a prediction that big oil would reduce their profit margins for the 3rd quarter as results will be made public just weeks before the election. This seemed a “no brainer” as they want Republicans to hold the majority in both houses. Then something more sinister crept into view. Was big oil keeping gas prices low in Republican areas while jacking up prices in blue or Democratic parts of the country?
Why the .25 cent per gallon difference? I would ask the Justice Department to look into it but we know the Bush track record for butchering investigations. Maybe some academic will take on the project.
Two days ago I filled up for $2.79 a gallon. Since then BP shuttered their Alaskan oil pipeline, removing 8% of our domestic daily production. Today while running errands, I found I could get gas for that same amount, $2.79 per gallon. Last fall I paid well over $3 a gallon (with similar prices for a barrel of oil as today).
Earlier this year I made a prediction that big oil would reduce their profit margins for the 3rd quarter as results will be made public just weeks before the election. This seemed a “no brainer” as they want Republicans to hold the majority in both houses. Then something more sinister crept into view. Was big oil keeping gas prices low in Republican areas while jacking up prices in blue or Democratic parts of the country?
Why the .25 cent per gallon difference? I would ask the Justice Department to look into it but we know the Bush track record for butchering investigations. Maybe some academic will take on the project.
Calls by People in the Know for Nuclear Disarmament Fall on Deaf Ears
The 61st anniversary of atomic bombs falling in Hiroshima and Nagasaki passed as world leaders accelerated a new nuclear arms race. The Mayors of the two Japanese cities called for an end to the weapons that caused such widespread suffering, death and destruction. The people spoke with one very experienced voice in their honoring those struck down.
Participants in Nagasaki observed a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m., the exact time the atomic bomb was dropped on the city.
Kikuyo Nakamura, 82, said she was concerned the attack could soon be forgotten because many of those who survived have passed away. "I will never forget what happened 61 years ago," she said. "Now I feel compelled to tell others how stupid, scary and cruel the war was."
Wednesday's ceremony followed a memorial service Sunday in Hiroshima, where about 45,000 people gathered in the city's peace park. Embassy officials from seven countries, including Germany, Russia and Australia, were among those who attended in Nagasaki, city officials said. American diplomats did not attend, according to a city statement.
The news indicates the only world power ever to drop atomic bombs in war failed to show up and accept responsibility for our actions. Sound familiar? It should, it’s a Bush time honored tradition.
Participants in Nagasaki observed a moment of silence at 11:02 a.m., the exact time the atomic bomb was dropped on the city.
Kikuyo Nakamura, 82, said she was concerned the attack could soon be forgotten because many of those who survived have passed away. "I will never forget what happened 61 years ago," she said. "Now I feel compelled to tell others how stupid, scary and cruel the war was."
Wednesday's ceremony followed a memorial service Sunday in Hiroshima, where about 45,000 people gathered in the city's peace park. Embassy officials from seven countries, including Germany, Russia and Australia, were among those who attended in Nagasaki, city officials said. American diplomats did not attend, according to a city statement.
The news indicates the only world power ever to drop atomic bombs in war failed to show up and accept responsibility for our actions. Sound familiar? It should, it’s a Bush time honored tradition.
The Pro-Torture Bush Camp Well Into Year 2
The Bush Team successfully kept torture in the headlines for the last year and seems intent on continuing to show their pro-torture hand. Most poker players play their cards close to the vest but not this administration. They are balls to the wall violence. CNN reports:
The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners, according to U.S. officials and a copy of the amendments. Officials say the amendments would alter a U.S. law passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the Geneva Conventions, a set of international treaties governing military conduct in wartime. The conventions generally bar the cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment of wartime prisoners without spelling out what all those terms mean.
Who’s leading the pro-torture charge? It is none other than Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. And the military’s reaction, as the law change supposedly would protect their soldiers? The military's top uniformed lawyers testified at the same hearing they are training to comply with existing law and complying would not impede operations.
The Bush/Cheney pro-violence, pro-torture administration continues to spin their nefarious schemes and America’s reputation suffers greatly around the world. The brings to mind a great bumper sticker:
George Bush and Dick Cheney: World Bleeders
The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners, according to U.S. officials and a copy of the amendments. Officials say the amendments would alter a U.S. law passed in the mid-1990s that criminalized violations of the Geneva Conventions, a set of international treaties governing military conduct in wartime. The conventions generally bar the cruel, humiliating and degrading treatment of wartime prisoners without spelling out what all those terms mean.
Who’s leading the pro-torture charge? It is none other than Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. And the military’s reaction, as the law change supposedly would protect their soldiers? The military's top uniformed lawyers testified at the same hearing they are training to comply with existing law and complying would not impede operations.
The Bush/Cheney pro-violence, pro-torture administration continues to spin their nefarious schemes and America’s reputation suffers greatly around the world. The brings to mind a great bumper sticker:
George Bush and Dick Cheney: World Bleeders
Covering Kids Healthcare in America, Improvement or Embarrassment?
A story just cited a 20 percent drop in uninsured children in the U.S. between 1997 and 2004. The number declined to 8 million from approximately 10 million. Should the country be proud of the 2 million covered or embarrassed by the 8 million left out?
Statistics show 70% or 5.6 million children of those uncovered to be eligible for state programs. What business would be a success if demand totaled 7.6 million people, but it only provided service to 2 million?
What’s happened since 2004? In Texas Children’s Health Insurance enrollment dropped precipitously from its all time high of 529,000 to 295,000 in August 2006. The drop from 2004 is not as steep but is over 120,000 kids.
Only in the United States would this be considered a resounding success. As our elected officials desperately seek to make the President’s tax cuts permanent, what will happen to programs that help the least of these? If Republicans succeed in eliminating the Estate Tax then Katy Bar the Door. Another $70 billion a year would need to be eliminated.
While I am puzzled by the lack of political will to ensure every American has some level of health benefits whether they are employer sponsored or community assisted, I am astonished at the abandonment of so many children. Intended or unintended, the restricting of government programs to citizens will add more uncovered and thus uncared for children to the roles.
How did America become such an uncaring society? When did it change from neighbor helping neighbor to people stepping on people? What twisted minds can accommodate tax cuts for the wealthy so children, seniors and the disabled can suffer? And how do they get in office? It seems more like an embarrassment to me….
Statistics show 70% or 5.6 million children of those uncovered to be eligible for state programs. What business would be a success if demand totaled 7.6 million people, but it only provided service to 2 million?
What’s happened since 2004? In Texas Children’s Health Insurance enrollment dropped precipitously from its all time high of 529,000 to 295,000 in August 2006. The drop from 2004 is not as steep but is over 120,000 kids.
Only in the United States would this be considered a resounding success. As our elected officials desperately seek to make the President’s tax cuts permanent, what will happen to programs that help the least of these? If Republicans succeed in eliminating the Estate Tax then Katy Bar the Door. Another $70 billion a year would need to be eliminated.
While I am puzzled by the lack of political will to ensure every American has some level of health benefits whether they are employer sponsored or community assisted, I am astonished at the abandonment of so many children. Intended or unintended, the restricting of government programs to citizens will add more uncovered and thus uncared for children to the roles.
How did America become such an uncaring society? When did it change from neighbor helping neighbor to people stepping on people? What twisted minds can accommodate tax cuts for the wealthy so children, seniors and the disabled can suffer? And how do they get in office? It seems more like an embarrassment to me….
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Politics & Gas Prices?
Yesterday I noted the BP Alaskan oil field shutdown and the dire predictions on gasoline prices as this source represented 8% of America’s domestic oil supply. I rushed out to fill up our cars expecting the price to rise by the hour as it seemed to post Hurricane Katrina. Regular unleaded gasoline was $2.79 a gallon.
As my wife and I ran errands last night, we noted the price had not changed. Thinking this to be odd, I checked the news this morning and found the oil market had stabilized after an initial bump. The story did have information that renewed my question about gas price variation around the country. Are oil companies pricing gas differently in Republican vs. Democratic parts of the U.S.?
The average U.S. retail price of a gallon of unleaded, regular gasoline was $3.036 on Monday -- near its all-time high of $3.057, reached Sept. 5 after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
Why is our gasoline nowhere near its all time high while America’s average sits pennies away? In solidly Republican West Texas gas prices are some 25 cents below our high. Of course an average is just that, some prices are above and some below.
I am curious how prices break out between red and blue areas of the country? Are all the red areas as far away from their record prices like West Texas? Or are their blue areas sitting pretty relative to high historical gas prices?
I don’t plan on doing a study, but it would be interesting if someone did. I would suggest the Bush administration but their track record on performing competent investigations is rather poor.
As my wife and I ran errands last night, we noted the price had not changed. Thinking this to be odd, I checked the news this morning and found the oil market had stabilized after an initial bump. The story did have information that renewed my question about gas price variation around the country. Are oil companies pricing gas differently in Republican vs. Democratic parts of the U.S.?
The average U.S. retail price of a gallon of unleaded, regular gasoline was $3.036 on Monday -- near its all-time high of $3.057, reached Sept. 5 after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
Why is our gasoline nowhere near its all time high while America’s average sits pennies away? In solidly Republican West Texas gas prices are some 25 cents below our high. Of course an average is just that, some prices are above and some below.
I am curious how prices break out between red and blue areas of the country? Are all the red areas as far away from their record prices like West Texas? Or are their blue areas sitting pretty relative to high historical gas prices?
I don’t plan on doing a study, but it would be interesting if someone did. I would suggest the Bush administration but their track record on performing competent investigations is rather poor.
Monday, August 07, 2006
What You Do to The Least of These...
Those Republican tax cuts have been paid for with deficits or borrowings to date. The Senate wants to extend them, per President Bush's request. The group that will suffer from these are those currently helped by domestic programs. It is estimated in 2012 the following cuts would be imposed under the Senate's current thinking.
The entitlement cuts are especially noteworthy. If all entitlement programs except Social Security were reduced by the same percentage, which is how the bill’s automatic cuts would work, then cuts of the following magnitude would be instituted in 2012:
Medicare would be cut $83 billion, which works out to an average of $1,750 per beneficiary[3]
Veterans injured in combat would have their disability compensation benefits reduced an average of $1,543, while families of veterans who died serving the country would be subject to average benefit cuts of $2,293
The funds that schools receive for the school lunch program would be reduced substantially, with schools having to increase the prices charged to middle-income children for their school lunches by about 66 cents a lunch
A full-time minimum-wage worker with two children would face a cut in the Earned Income Tax Credit of $798
Working-poor families with two children who receive food stamps would have their food stamp benefits cut an average of $670 a year, even though food stamps currently average only $1.06 per person per meal
Poor people who are elderly or have serious disabilities would see both their food stamps and their Supplemental Security Income benefits cut, with many facing SSI benefit cuts of more than $1,000 a year. Under current law, a poor elderly widow is expected to receive a total of $6,560 from SSI benefits and food stamps in 2012. Under the bill, she would find this already-low level of income reduced by about $930 — to $5,630 — and her income would fall from 60 percent of the poverty line to 51 percent.
Uunder the Administration’s budget, the acclaimed women, infants, and children nutrition program (WIC) would be cut $459 million in 2009 (relative to the 2006 funding level, adjusted for inflation) and would serve up to 680,000 fewer low-income pregnant women, infants, and children under age five.[2] Similarly, 420,000 low-income elderly people would be cut from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which would be terminated.
In addition, in 2009, funding for the National Institutes of Health, the federal focal point for medical research, would be cut $2.5 billion, while the community oriented policing services program (COPS), which helps state and local governments put police on the street, would be cut 75 percent. Similarly, EPA’s clean water and drinking water programs would be cut nearly one fifth in 2009, and funding for energy conservation would be cut 23 percent. (All reductions in discretionary programs described here are measured relative to the Congressional Budget Office baseline, which equals the 2006 funding levels for these programs, adjusted for inflation.)
As you do for the least of these, you do for me....
The entitlement cuts are especially noteworthy. If all entitlement programs except Social Security were reduced by the same percentage, which is how the bill’s automatic cuts would work, then cuts of the following magnitude would be instituted in 2012:
Medicare would be cut $83 billion, which works out to an average of $1,750 per beneficiary[3]
Veterans injured in combat would have their disability compensation benefits reduced an average of $1,543, while families of veterans who died serving the country would be subject to average benefit cuts of $2,293
The funds that schools receive for the school lunch program would be reduced substantially, with schools having to increase the prices charged to middle-income children for their school lunches by about 66 cents a lunch
A full-time minimum-wage worker with two children would face a cut in the Earned Income Tax Credit of $798
Working-poor families with two children who receive food stamps would have their food stamp benefits cut an average of $670 a year, even though food stamps currently average only $1.06 per person per meal
Poor people who are elderly or have serious disabilities would see both their food stamps and their Supplemental Security Income benefits cut, with many facing SSI benefit cuts of more than $1,000 a year. Under current law, a poor elderly widow is expected to receive a total of $6,560 from SSI benefits and food stamps in 2012. Under the bill, she would find this already-low level of income reduced by about $930 — to $5,630 — and her income would fall from 60 percent of the poverty line to 51 percent.
Uunder the Administration’s budget, the acclaimed women, infants, and children nutrition program (WIC) would be cut $459 million in 2009 (relative to the 2006 funding level, adjusted for inflation) and would serve up to 680,000 fewer low-income pregnant women, infants, and children under age five.[2] Similarly, 420,000 low-income elderly people would be cut from the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which would be terminated.
In addition, in 2009, funding for the National Institutes of Health, the federal focal point for medical research, would be cut $2.5 billion, while the community oriented policing services program (COPS), which helps state and local governments put police on the street, would be cut 75 percent. Similarly, EPA’s clean water and drinking water programs would be cut nearly one fifth in 2009, and funding for energy conservation would be cut 23 percent. (All reductions in discretionary programs described here are measured relative to the Congressional Budget Office baseline, which equals the 2006 funding levels for these programs, adjusted for inflation.)
As you do for the least of these, you do for me....
All That Work for This?
The Bush clan took nearly a month, working hard on an agreement that would provide for a “lasting and sustainable peace”. Then America’s U.N. Representative John Bolton said:
…the goal of the resolution is not to "achieve a perfect agreement," which he noted would be impossible, "but to take the concrete steps we need to get on the road to a lasting solution."
Did you note his remarks? We aren’t even on the road to that lasting solution. Are we sitting in a ditch like Cindy Sheehan last summer? If so, where are the rattlesnakes? And I thought that was Mr. Bolton's unique ring tone.
Did Mr. Bolton say his previous task of achieving a "lasting and sustainable peace" agreement is now impossible after a month of full out war? Given his comments is it even possible to get on the road for peace? Or did Israel just bomb it out?
The hard work President Bush performed on this task did not involve his picking up the phone once to talk to the Lebanese President or the Israeli Prime Minister. Yes, the work shows and it is reminiscent of Larry, Moe, and Curly’s house painting job.
…the goal of the resolution is not to "achieve a perfect agreement," which he noted would be impossible, "but to take the concrete steps we need to get on the road to a lasting solution."
Did you note his remarks? We aren’t even on the road to that lasting solution. Are we sitting in a ditch like Cindy Sheehan last summer? If so, where are the rattlesnakes? And I thought that was Mr. Bolton's unique ring tone.
Did Mr. Bolton say his previous task of achieving a "lasting and sustainable peace" agreement is now impossible after a month of full out war? Given his comments is it even possible to get on the road for peace? Or did Israel just bomb it out?
The hard work President Bush performed on this task did not involve his picking up the phone once to talk to the Lebanese President or the Israeli Prime Minister. Yes, the work shows and it is reminiscent of Larry, Moe, and Curly’s house painting job.
Only in Bush’s World
Anyone paying close attention to the Israeli invasion of democratic Lebanon the last 4 weeks could find President Bush’s recent statements incredulous.
We all recognize that the violence must stop.
Exactly when did President Bush join the “we”, otherwise known as the rest of the world, on this?
Bush said the goal was to find consensus quickly on a resolution calling for a cessation of violence. "I understand that both parties aren't going to agree with all aspects of the resolution," the president said. "But the intent of the resolutions is to strengthen the Lebanese government so Israel has got a partner in peace."
If the intent is to help the Lebanese government, then the peace plan satisfies their concerns, correct? That would make sense, if the intent is to help Lebanon.
At the United Nations, the United States and France delayed action on the cease-fire measure to consider demands from Lebanon and Arab states over the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Lebanon is unhappy with the resolution? Huh….oh, the real customer is Israel!
Any American who lived through the Bush administration’s butchering of the Hurricane Katrina response would be nervous over the language used by Sec. Rice on the peace effort.
I don't believe anybody anticipates that there should be foreign forces on Lebanese soil as a result of what has happened here.
I don’t believe anybody anticipated the levees failing….. We all know the rest. What does it portend here?
We all recognize that the violence must stop.
Exactly when did President Bush join the “we”, otherwise known as the rest of the world, on this?
Bush said the goal was to find consensus quickly on a resolution calling for a cessation of violence. "I understand that both parties aren't going to agree with all aspects of the resolution," the president said. "But the intent of the resolutions is to strengthen the Lebanese government so Israel has got a partner in peace."
If the intent is to help the Lebanese government, then the peace plan satisfies their concerns, correct? That would make sense, if the intent is to help Lebanon.
At the United Nations, the United States and France delayed action on the cease-fire measure to consider demands from Lebanon and Arab states over the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Lebanon is unhappy with the resolution? Huh….oh, the real customer is Israel!
Any American who lived through the Bush administration’s butchering of the Hurricane Katrina response would be nervous over the language used by Sec. Rice on the peace effort.
I don't believe anybody anticipates that there should be foreign forces on Lebanese soil as a result of what has happened here.
I don’t believe anybody anticipated the levees failing….. We all know the rest. What does it portend here?
Administration Well on Its Way in BUBAR’ing the Middle East
After dragging its knuckles for nearly a month on the “War on Lebanon”, the Bush administration put forth a one-sided peace plan for the United Nation’s consideration. The proposal allows Israel to remain in occupied lands while calling for Hezbollah to completely disarm. It provides for Israel to defend itself against further attacks. This alone is ominous as the Bush administration has asserted since Day 1 that Israel “has the right to defend itself” as it killed nearly a thousand Lebanese and destroyed $2.5 billion of the country’s infrastructure.
The vision for the Middle East is based on Western Values according to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The values are being driven by the newcomer on the block and a country half a world away. It seems odd for outsiders to remake the Middle East. Apparently Tony, George, and Ehud did not learn from Winston Churchill’s forays into the area around 1920.
Americans are well aware of President Bush’s inability to perform a competent investigation or run a credible Executive branch. Those have been Bushed Up Beyond All Recognition. Now it’s the Middle East’s turn. Iraq after 3 years is severely BUBAR’ed. Lebanon ditto.
The “Bush Piece Plan” for Lebanon is one sided, greatly favoring the aggressor Israel. What message does this send the world? Does it say that bullies, once they take something, have the upper hand and get to have their way?
Their knuckles still drag the ground as the Bush team bumbles its way toward birthing “a new Middle East”. I don’t know about you, but I want a different OB/GYN. This one is not competent to deliver anything!
The vision for the Middle East is based on Western Values according to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The values are being driven by the newcomer on the block and a country half a world away. It seems odd for outsiders to remake the Middle East. Apparently Tony, George, and Ehud did not learn from Winston Churchill’s forays into the area around 1920.
Americans are well aware of President Bush’s inability to perform a competent investigation or run a credible Executive branch. Those have been Bushed Up Beyond All Recognition. Now it’s the Middle East’s turn. Iraq after 3 years is severely BUBAR’ed. Lebanon ditto.
The “Bush Piece Plan” for Lebanon is one sided, greatly favoring the aggressor Israel. What message does this send the world? Does it say that bullies, once they take something, have the upper hand and get to have their way?
Their knuckles still drag the ground as the Bush team bumbles its way toward birthing “a new Middle East”. I don’t know about you, but I want a different OB/GYN. This one is not competent to deliver anything!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
One More Corrupt American in Iraq, Working for a Corrupt Business?
The news this weekend had one other story on corrupt Americans in Iraq. A Michigan man pleaded guilty to offering a bribe to an Iraqi police official to arrange the purchase of body armor and a high tech printer for $1 million. The news did not disclose if the translator conducted this deal in his role as employee for Titan Corp, the infamous defense contractor.
Titan pleaded guilty to bribing the President of the West African country of Benin. After contributing more than $2 million to the candidate’s successful re-election, the company found Benin officials quadrupled Titan’s management fee. The company will pay $28 million in fines and stated it no longer allows such practices.
In an odd twist Titan Corp lost its merger with Lockheed Martin due to ethical concerns. The San Diego based company did eventually merge with L-3 Communications. Did you note the San Diego connection? A Congressman from that area recently was convicted of bribery and sentenced to eight years in jail. How much did Titan contribute to Duke’s election campaigns? $6,000 in 2002, $5,000 in 2004, $10,000 in 2006, for a total of $21,000.
The companies Duke admitted to taking payola from were funded by Rep. Cunningham’s earmarks. The Pentagon is expressly investigating these relationships, but there is no mention of any concerns with Titan Corp. Let’s see, we have a historically dirty company, a convicted Congressman and the Pentagon is not looking into connections?
While $21,000 may seem like small change for the Dukester and for Titan, recall this is only the above board money. What transactions might have occurred behind the scenes? In the other cases of known bribery the investigation drags on:
Eight months after former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham confessed to taking massive bribes in exchange for providing at least $230 million in questionable defense and intelligence contracts, the Defense Department inspector general still has not determined whether any of those projects were improper.
But officials have been tight-lipped about the status of other taxpayer-funded work that may have been tainted, including a secret counterintelligence program.
Titan prior to the merger touted itself as specializing in intelligence. How much of this secret counterintelligence program work do they have? Did they do anything untoward to get it?
The Congressional investigations are led by Reps. Jerry Lewis and Duncan Hunter. By coincidence they also received donations from Titan, $30,000 total. Titan gave $10,000 per campaign for their last 3 elections. I smell another Republican non-investigation!
Titan pleaded guilty to bribing the President of the West African country of Benin. After contributing more than $2 million to the candidate’s successful re-election, the company found Benin officials quadrupled Titan’s management fee. The company will pay $28 million in fines and stated it no longer allows such practices.
In an odd twist Titan Corp lost its merger with Lockheed Martin due to ethical concerns. The San Diego based company did eventually merge with L-3 Communications. Did you note the San Diego connection? A Congressman from that area recently was convicted of bribery and sentenced to eight years in jail. How much did Titan contribute to Duke’s election campaigns? $6,000 in 2002, $5,000 in 2004, $10,000 in 2006, for a total of $21,000.
The companies Duke admitted to taking payola from were funded by Rep. Cunningham’s earmarks. The Pentagon is expressly investigating these relationships, but there is no mention of any concerns with Titan Corp. Let’s see, we have a historically dirty company, a convicted Congressman and the Pentagon is not looking into connections?
While $21,000 may seem like small change for the Dukester and for Titan, recall this is only the above board money. What transactions might have occurred behind the scenes? In the other cases of known bribery the investigation drags on:
Eight months after former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham confessed to taking massive bribes in exchange for providing at least $230 million in questionable defense and intelligence contracts, the Defense Department inspector general still has not determined whether any of those projects were improper.
But officials have been tight-lipped about the status of other taxpayer-funded work that may have been tainted, including a secret counterintelligence program.
Titan prior to the merger touted itself as specializing in intelligence. How much of this secret counterintelligence program work do they have? Did they do anything untoward to get it?
The Congressional investigations are led by Reps. Jerry Lewis and Duncan Hunter. By coincidence they also received donations from Titan, $30,000 total. Titan gave $10,000 per campaign for their last 3 elections. I smell another Republican non-investigation!
Secretary Rice’s Country Quiz
As I read reports of Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice’s comments on Cuba a number of questions came to mind. As a result I created a quiz, so all can play along.
1. In which country should the United States invade to overthrow a tyrannical dictator and which should be left alone?
a. Iraq-Saddam Hussein
b. Cuba-Fidel Castro
2. Which country has seen a dramatic fleeing of educated and professional persons due to a government transition?
a. Iraq post 2003
b. Cuba shortly after Castro’s rise to power in 1959
3. What form of government was in place when the people fled for their lives?
a. Cuba-__________
b. Iraq-___________
4. What does Sec. Rice mean when she says “a dictator should not replace a dictator”?
5. What does she mean when she says a mass exodus “would not be condoned”?
6. With which communist country does the United States not trade?
a. China
b. Cuba
c. Vietnam
1. In which country should the United States invade to overthrow a tyrannical dictator and which should be left alone?
a. Iraq-Saddam Hussein
b. Cuba-Fidel Castro
2. Which country has seen a dramatic fleeing of educated and professional persons due to a government transition?
a. Iraq post 2003
b. Cuba shortly after Castro’s rise to power in 1959
3. What form of government was in place when the people fled for their lives?
a. Cuba-__________
b. Iraq-___________
4. What does Sec. Rice mean when she says “a dictator should not replace a dictator”?
5. What does she mean when she says a mass exodus “would not be condoned”?
6. With which communist country does the United States not trade?
a. China
b. Cuba
c. Vietnam
Rice’s Real Talk Outside the Crawford Ranch
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice spoke from the Western White House, also known as President Bush’s favorite vacation spot from which to watch large numbers of people die. She addressed the draft U.N. resolution on the Israel/Lebanon conflict nearly one month old. I took the liberty of reading between the lines in her comments and offer my version below:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described a draft U.N. cease-fire resolution as a first step to stop violence in the Middle East, but said it cannot solve the problems in Lebanon which now include almost 1,000 civilian deaths, $2.5 billion in damaged or destroyed infrastructure, and in impending humanitarian crisis with nearly 1 million people displaced and hospitals shuttering their doors.
Rice said the completely neutered Lebanese government must extend its authority into the south so the militant Islamic group Hezbollah does not have control. She said the international community must help Lebanese forces be successful over the next several months. There needs to be teams of peacekeepers in the region to protect and patrol the rubble.
"We're trying to deal with a problem that has been festering and brewing in Lebanon now for years and years and years," Rice said. "And so it's not going to be solved by one resolution in the Security Council. The problem consisted of 5,000 armed Hezbollah guerillas in a country of 4.4 million people. For each armed Hezbollah fighter Israel destroyed $2.5 million in infrastructure and displaced 20,000 Lebanese citizens.
"These things take awhile to wind down, you can’t expect an army of 250,000 to wipe out 5,000 guerillas quickly" she said. "It is certainly not the case that probably all violence is going to stop. .. I can't say that you should rule out that there could be skirmishes of some kind for some time to come." (For the last three weeks didn’t she say no cease fire until a lasting peace could be formed? Now she says don’t expect a lasting peace. Did we wait almost a month for nothing?)
Rice said a second proposal was being drafted at the U.N. that would form an international force. There can be no looting of fictional weapons of mass destruction as the Americans experienced in Iraq.
"There are things the Israelis wanted (wink, wink) and things the #@#&@ Lebanese wanted, and everybody wasn't going to get everything that they wanted," Rice said. "This is the international community's effort to bring about a reasonable, equitable basis for the cessation of hostilities almost a month late of the kind that are so devastating to civilian populations that the Bush administration cares very little about.”
How many in that civilian population died during the U.S. knuckle dragging? Condi speaks but those who can read between the lines no longer listen. She doesn’t speak for us.
P.S. Anything in italics is solely a creation of this author. Any resemblance to real life positions or perspectives is merely a matter of coincidence.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described a draft U.N. cease-fire resolution as a first step to stop violence in the Middle East, but said it cannot solve the problems in Lebanon which now include almost 1,000 civilian deaths, $2.5 billion in damaged or destroyed infrastructure, and in impending humanitarian crisis with nearly 1 million people displaced and hospitals shuttering their doors.
Rice said the completely neutered Lebanese government must extend its authority into the south so the militant Islamic group Hezbollah does not have control. She said the international community must help Lebanese forces be successful over the next several months. There needs to be teams of peacekeepers in the region to protect and patrol the rubble.
"We're trying to deal with a problem that has been festering and brewing in Lebanon now for years and years and years," Rice said. "And so it's not going to be solved by one resolution in the Security Council. The problem consisted of 5,000 armed Hezbollah guerillas in a country of 4.4 million people. For each armed Hezbollah fighter Israel destroyed $2.5 million in infrastructure and displaced 20,000 Lebanese citizens.
"These things take awhile to wind down, you can’t expect an army of 250,000 to wipe out 5,000 guerillas quickly" she said. "It is certainly not the case that probably all violence is going to stop. .. I can't say that you should rule out that there could be skirmishes of some kind for some time to come." (For the last three weeks didn’t she say no cease fire until a lasting peace could be formed? Now she says don’t expect a lasting peace. Did we wait almost a month for nothing?)
Rice said a second proposal was being drafted at the U.N. that would form an international force. There can be no looting of fictional weapons of mass destruction as the Americans experienced in Iraq.
"There are things the Israelis wanted (wink, wink) and things the #@#&@ Lebanese wanted, and everybody wasn't going to get everything that they wanted," Rice said. "This is the international community's effort to bring about a reasonable, equitable basis for the cessation of hostilities almost a month late of the kind that are so devastating to civilian populations that the Bush administration cares very little about.”
How many in that civilian population died during the U.S. knuckle dragging? Condi speaks but those who can read between the lines no longer listen. She doesn’t speak for us.
P.S. Anything in italics is solely a creation of this author. Any resemblance to real life positions or perspectives is merely a matter of coincidence.
Americans Still Being Misled on Saddam’s WMD
According to new polls, half of Americans believe Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction despite hard evidence to the contrary. The Bush/Cheney team sent that message for years. Sec. Condi Rice has allowed only that “perhaps” WMD were not in Iraq. Bush continues to spin the myth that he sent troops to Iraq because the dictator locked out U.N. weapons inspectors. Just 4 months ago President Bush stated Saddam “chose to deny inspectors”.
The facts show otherwise. After a four year hiatus, Hussein allowed back in U.N. weapons inspectors. They conducted over 700 inspections of potential weapons sites between November 2002 and March 2003. The U.N. inspectors said they could finish their work in months. The U.S. invasion aborted this work.
In May 2006 at a West Point graduation Bush said “When the United Nations Security Council gave him one final chance to disclose and disarm, or face serious consequences, he refused to take that final opportunity."
Bush went to war because Saddam did not disarm fast enough. And the final results of the investigation of Iraq’s WMD?
After a 16-month, $900-million-plus investigation, the U.S. weapons hunters known as the Iraq Survey Group declared that Iraq had dismantled its chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs in 1991 under U.N. oversight. That finding in 2004 reaffirmed the work of U.N. inspectors who in 2002-03 found no trace of banned arsenals in Iraq.
Americans believe erroneously given the White House spin machine. Most of the WMD believers are Republican. The fiction continues as Fox News on July 21st said with no evidence:
"ARE SADDAM HUSSEIN'S WMDS NOW IN HEZBOLLAH'S HANDS?" asked the headline, lingering for long minutes on TV screens in a million American homes.
How long can our country last if we don’t face facts? Our President lies, is incapable of conducting a competent investigation, cannot perform a basic root cause analysis, and uses four letter words while displaying bad table manners. Where’s Charles Barkley when you need him? The kids need a role model….
The facts show otherwise. After a four year hiatus, Hussein allowed back in U.N. weapons inspectors. They conducted over 700 inspections of potential weapons sites between November 2002 and March 2003. The U.N. inspectors said they could finish their work in months. The U.S. invasion aborted this work.
In May 2006 at a West Point graduation Bush said “When the United Nations Security Council gave him one final chance to disclose and disarm, or face serious consequences, he refused to take that final opportunity."
Bush went to war because Saddam did not disarm fast enough. And the final results of the investigation of Iraq’s WMD?
After a 16-month, $900-million-plus investigation, the U.S. weapons hunters known as the Iraq Survey Group declared that Iraq had dismantled its chemical, biological and nuclear arms programs in 1991 under U.N. oversight. That finding in 2004 reaffirmed the work of U.N. inspectors who in 2002-03 found no trace of banned arsenals in Iraq.
Americans believe erroneously given the White House spin machine. Most of the WMD believers are Republican. The fiction continues as Fox News on July 21st said with no evidence:
"ARE SADDAM HUSSEIN'S WMDS NOW IN HEZBOLLAH'S HANDS?" asked the headline, lingering for long minutes on TV screens in a million American homes.
How long can our country last if we don’t face facts? Our President lies, is incapable of conducting a competent investigation, cannot perform a basic root cause analysis, and uses four letter words while displaying bad table manners. Where’s Charles Barkley when you need him? The kids need a role model….
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Bush Track Record of Poor Investigations and "Record Keeping" Continue
An investigation into the discrepancies between Pentagon testimony regarding 9/11 and their records revealed there is no evidence Defense Department officials intentionally misled the September 11th Commission. According to the Pentagon, the discrepancies resulted from poor investigation and record keeping.
Let me get this right, the administration conducted a poor initial investigation of the happenings on 9/11. This resulted in disturbing testimony according to the bi-partisan leaders of the Commission. Therefore, they referred it back to the group that botched the job to begin with? The Pentagon’s second investigation cited the poor quality of the initial investigation and the government’s own record keeping.
The 9/11 Commission co-chairs had this to say in reference to the disturbing testimony.
"Fog of war could explain why some people were confused on the day of 9/11, but it could not explain why all of the after-action reports, accident investigations and public testimony by FAA and NORAD officials advanced an account of 9/11 that was untrue."
Given the Bush administration track record why would anyone believe any one of their “investigations”? The Pentagon investigated the Haditha killings in Iraq at least five times. The latest investigation reveals evidence supports accusations that the Marines deliberately killed civilians, including women and children. Prosecutors will determine if criminal charges are filed.
The White House conducted the sorriest investigation I have seen to date on their actions post Hurricane Katrina. Did you know the hospital where 24 patients died did not warrant one mention in the Bush report? A nursing home with 6 or 7 patient deaths is mentioned, but not LifeCare Hospital’s facility in Memorial Hospital. LifeCare had been purchased by The Carlyle Group just weeks before Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. This investment house shares a Pennsylvania Avenue address with President Bush and has employed Bush Sr. to promote their investment opportunities in areas of the world where he remains popular.
A credible investigation states who was responsible, what happened, how those duties were performed (good and bad), and how to do better next time. The White House Lessons Learned report failed on most counts.
The rampant corruption in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq speaks to the administrations track record of poor “record keeping”. A Halliburton contractor, Eagle Global Logistics, paid the government $4 million for its fraudulent invoices. A Vice President Christopher Cahill inflated invoice over $1 million to justify the fraudulent surcharges.
Several Pentagon insiders are being sued for scheming with banned contractor Custer Battles LLC to form sham companies that sold illegal weapons on the black market. In March Custer Battles was found guilty in overcharging the Coalition Provisional Authority by as much as $50 million. One of the principals in Custer Battles LLC had his wife Jacqueline Battles take $2 million to Germany for deposit. A civil judgment requires the company pay the government and whistleblowers $10 million for their fraud. The attorney for Mr. Custer and Battles has no information on their whereabouts and the company’s phone number has been disconnected. The company hasn’t issued a press release since April 2005. Its track record in Iraq remains dubious.
The Special Inspector for Iraqi Reconstruction just released his analysis of the poor results in rebuilding Iraq. He blames the long history of corruption in the country. Huh? All the stories I have seen to date involve corruption by American companies, conducted by U.S. government officials or corporate officials. Phillip Bloom used over $1 million in cash, cars, jewelry and even sexual favors from women at his villa in Baghdad. In return, the officials steered millions of dollars in reconstruction contracts to Bloom's companies. What about the reconstruction decision makers, were they also American?
All these news stories ran the last day, except for the LifeCare Hospitals omission. That is yet to hit the mainstream press. What is one who keeps up with the news to think? Don’t trust the Bush administration to execute competently, comes to mind. Once they fail, don’t trust them to conduct a thorough investigation is Lesson #2.
Let me get this right, the administration conducted a poor initial investigation of the happenings on 9/11. This resulted in disturbing testimony according to the bi-partisan leaders of the Commission. Therefore, they referred it back to the group that botched the job to begin with? The Pentagon’s second investigation cited the poor quality of the initial investigation and the government’s own record keeping.
The 9/11 Commission co-chairs had this to say in reference to the disturbing testimony.
"Fog of war could explain why some people were confused on the day of 9/11, but it could not explain why all of the after-action reports, accident investigations and public testimony by FAA and NORAD officials advanced an account of 9/11 that was untrue."
Given the Bush administration track record why would anyone believe any one of their “investigations”? The Pentagon investigated the Haditha killings in Iraq at least five times. The latest investigation reveals evidence supports accusations that the Marines deliberately killed civilians, including women and children. Prosecutors will determine if criminal charges are filed.
The White House conducted the sorriest investigation I have seen to date on their actions post Hurricane Katrina. Did you know the hospital where 24 patients died did not warrant one mention in the Bush report? A nursing home with 6 or 7 patient deaths is mentioned, but not LifeCare Hospital’s facility in Memorial Hospital. LifeCare had been purchased by The Carlyle Group just weeks before Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. This investment house shares a Pennsylvania Avenue address with President Bush and has employed Bush Sr. to promote their investment opportunities in areas of the world where he remains popular.
A credible investigation states who was responsible, what happened, how those duties were performed (good and bad), and how to do better next time. The White House Lessons Learned report failed on most counts.
The rampant corruption in the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq speaks to the administrations track record of poor “record keeping”. A Halliburton contractor, Eagle Global Logistics, paid the government $4 million for its fraudulent invoices. A Vice President Christopher Cahill inflated invoice over $1 million to justify the fraudulent surcharges.
Several Pentagon insiders are being sued for scheming with banned contractor Custer Battles LLC to form sham companies that sold illegal weapons on the black market. In March Custer Battles was found guilty in overcharging the Coalition Provisional Authority by as much as $50 million. One of the principals in Custer Battles LLC had his wife Jacqueline Battles take $2 million to Germany for deposit. A civil judgment requires the company pay the government and whistleblowers $10 million for their fraud. The attorney for Mr. Custer and Battles has no information on their whereabouts and the company’s phone number has been disconnected. The company hasn’t issued a press release since April 2005. Its track record in Iraq remains dubious.
The Special Inspector for Iraqi Reconstruction just released his analysis of the poor results in rebuilding Iraq. He blames the long history of corruption in the country. Huh? All the stories I have seen to date involve corruption by American companies, conducted by U.S. government officials or corporate officials. Phillip Bloom used over $1 million in cash, cars, jewelry and even sexual favors from women at his villa in Baghdad. In return, the officials steered millions of dollars in reconstruction contracts to Bloom's companies. What about the reconstruction decision makers, were they also American?
All these news stories ran the last day, except for the LifeCare Hospitals omission. That is yet to hit the mainstream press. What is one who keeps up with the news to think? Don’t trust the Bush administration to execute competently, comes to mind. Once they fail, don’t trust them to conduct a thorough investigation is Lesson #2.
New Peace Plan in U.N. a “Boltonian Knot”?
Recall the United States’ backing of the Israeli revenge inspired war machine for nearly a month. Bush and Company repeatedly said “Israel has a right to defend herself”. Now comes a U.N. resolution that continues that right, courtesy of John Bolton’s hard work.
The United States and France agreed Saturday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for a halt to the fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, but would allow Israel to defend itself if attacked.
Israel’s action in the mind of the world greatly exceeded an eye for an eye. All but the U.S. called the incursion and its wide toll on innocent human life and democratic infrastructure “disproportionate”.
If no guidelines for a reasonable defense are included, the slightest provocation could result in more widespread destruction and the predictable killing of innocents.
The United States and France agreed Saturday on a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that calls for a halt to the fighting between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, but would allow Israel to defend itself if attacked.
Israel’s action in the mind of the world greatly exceeded an eye for an eye. All but the U.S. called the incursion and its wide toll on innocent human life and democratic infrastructure “disproportionate”.
If no guidelines for a reasonable defense are included, the slightest provocation could result in more widespread destruction and the predictable killing of innocents.
Bush’s “Bleedership” on Middle East Conflict
President Bush indicated his support for negotiated draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would provide a cessation of violence nearly a month after Israel’s incitement of all out war. The resolution calls for several phases of operation and outlines key principles for a “lasting peace”.
When comparing the final product to the demands from world leaders Day 1 of the conflict, the differences seem small. Both have issues to be worked out later that if not skillfully handled would jeopardize any fragile cease fire.
The Bush team’s knuckle dragging on this issue can only be described as insensitive, uncaring, not the least bit compassionate. For the second time President Bush endorsed a policy of changing the Middle East via violence, death and destruction. For this I award Mr. Bush the title of “World Bleeder”. His “Bloody Leadership” can also be summed up as “Bleedership”.
It is ironic that his summer reading list contains “Polio: An American Story”. The book highlights the contributions of Jonas Salk, the man who discovered the polio vaccine. Will a man who healed by preventing deaths and deformities be able to teach anything to a “World Bleeder” who causes deaths and disabilities?
When comparing the final product to the demands from world leaders Day 1 of the conflict, the differences seem small. Both have issues to be worked out later that if not skillfully handled would jeopardize any fragile cease fire.
The Bush team’s knuckle dragging on this issue can only be described as insensitive, uncaring, not the least bit compassionate. For the second time President Bush endorsed a policy of changing the Middle East via violence, death and destruction. For this I award Mr. Bush the title of “World Bleeder”. His “Bloody Leadership” can also be summed up as “Bleedership”.
It is ironic that his summer reading list contains “Polio: An American Story”. The book highlights the contributions of Jonas Salk, the man who discovered the polio vaccine. Will a man who healed by preventing deaths and deformities be able to teach anything to a “World Bleeder” who causes deaths and disabilities?
Friday, August 04, 2006
Bush Team Spanks Foreign Countries for Doing Business with Iran, Ignores Halliburton
The U.S. State Department announced sanctions against seven international companies for doing business with Iran. Companies from Russia, North Korea, and Cuba sold Iran technology that could be used in weapons systems. Meanwhile the U.S. ignores a domestic company doing business with a member of the “axis of evil”, Halliburton. Through an international subsidiary Halliburton both develops energy resources in Iran and sells the state oil company supplies.
The consequences for the seven international companies include:
The sanctions mean that that no U.S. department or agency can provide assistance to the companies, or sell them any weapons, munitions or defense services.
In addition, no new U.S. licenses can be provided to the companies and all existing licenses are suspended.
"The sanctions apply to the specific entities and their successors, sub-units or subsidiaries and not to their respective countries or governments," a State Department official said.
Does anyone else find it odd that sanctions apply to foreign subsidiaries but not to Halliburton’s? At least we can thank those Republicans for ensuring the Iranian government gets the funds to purchase those weapons of mass destruction. As Ken Mehlman said, only Republicans can effectively manage the War on Terror. Watch it grow under their leadership!
The consequences for the seven international companies include:
The sanctions mean that that no U.S. department or agency can provide assistance to the companies, or sell them any weapons, munitions or defense services.
In addition, no new U.S. licenses can be provided to the companies and all existing licenses are suspended.
"The sanctions apply to the specific entities and their successors, sub-units or subsidiaries and not to their respective countries or governments," a State Department official said.
Does anyone else find it odd that sanctions apply to foreign subsidiaries but not to Halliburton’s? At least we can thank those Republicans for ensuring the Iranian government gets the funds to purchase those weapons of mass destruction. As Ken Mehlman said, only Republicans can effectively manage the War on Terror. Watch it grow under their leadership!
Republican Chair Mehlman Says for War on Terror to Grow, Requires Republican Being in Charge
How is the United States going to have a War on Terror against 10,000 or so Al Qaeda figures worldwide? Hezbollah has 5,000 fighters in Lebanon while Hamas has 5,000 trained members in its Izzeddine Qassam Brigades. How is the world to have a real war on terror with only 20,000 people to root out? It can’t, so the number of terrorists needs to grow and Republicans have just the solution!
First, they make Democrats look like a bunch of pansies.
Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, stressed that argument in a speech Friday at the organization's two-day summer meeting, similar to points made by White House adviser Karl Rove in January.
"America faces a critical question," Mehlman said in his prepared text. "Will we elect leaders who recognize we're at war and want to use every tool to win it, or politicians who would surrender important tools we need to win?"
Second, they go into areas where Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and Hamas exist and wreak major havoc. As these organizations exist in lands already wrought by decades of major havoc, the U.S. Republicans innovated. They invaded a country without any of the three terrorist groups in order to kill, main, destroy and offend a country of 26 million people known as Iraq. If this did not grow the number of terrorists beyond 20,000 then a more drastic strategy would be required.
Plan T to grow legions of U.S. hating terrorists would be to pick areas recently holding democratic elections and level them. Expose large numbers of innocents to danger from intentional death and destruction and then blame the victims for not cooperating by leaving.
Yes, Republicans are the U.S. party for the War on Terror. They will feed it faster than a Bush budget deficit. Anyone else want to those Republicans to quit gorging on violence and out of control spending?
First, they make Democrats look like a bunch of pansies.
Ken Mehlman, the chairman of the Republican National Committee, stressed that argument in a speech Friday at the organization's two-day summer meeting, similar to points made by White House adviser Karl Rove in January.
"America faces a critical question," Mehlman said in his prepared text. "Will we elect leaders who recognize we're at war and want to use every tool to win it, or politicians who would surrender important tools we need to win?"
Second, they go into areas where Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, and Hamas exist and wreak major havoc. As these organizations exist in lands already wrought by decades of major havoc, the U.S. Republicans innovated. They invaded a country without any of the three terrorist groups in order to kill, main, destroy and offend a country of 26 million people known as Iraq. If this did not grow the number of terrorists beyond 20,000 then a more drastic strategy would be required.
Plan T to grow legions of U.S. hating terrorists would be to pick areas recently holding democratic elections and level them. Expose large numbers of innocents to danger from intentional death and destruction and then blame the victims for not cooperating by leaving.
Yes, Republicans are the U.S. party for the War on Terror. They will feed it faster than a Bush budget deficit. Anyone else want to those Republicans to quit gorging on violence and out of control spending?
What Will Our Elected Leaders Learn on Recess?
The U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives and President Bush are all currently on vacation during a monstrous crisis in the Middle East. The President retreated to his Crawford Ranch where last summer he witnessed widespread human suffering post Hurricane Katrina. Will he tune into the worsening plight of over 1 million Lebanese refugees as Israel pounds Lebanon back twenty years?
I do hope our elected leaders make it to a playground while they are on break. Such a trip could provide them with insights to help them govern. Will they see a gang of teens invade another’s territory by showing up at their playground? What will happen? Will there be words exchanged or will it degenerate into a fistfight? What happens if one pulls out a bat, a knife or a gun? Will local rivals join together driving away the intruders?
Hopefully they will learn something on their 10 day to 5 week break. Major world leaders seemingly cannot solve international problems without violence. Those in the neighborhood are evaluating their next steps. How long they will watch their brother being pummeled remains to be seen.
I do hope our elected leaders make it to a playground while they are on break. Such a trip could provide them with insights to help them govern. Will they see a gang of teens invade another’s territory by showing up at their playground? What will happen? Will there be words exchanged or will it degenerate into a fistfight? What happens if one pulls out a bat, a knife or a gun? Will local rivals join together driving away the intruders?
Hopefully they will learn something on their 10 day to 5 week break. Major world leaders seemingly cannot solve international problems without violence. Those in the neighborhood are evaluating their next steps. How long they will watch their brother being pummeled remains to be seen.
Sec. Rice Blames Past Administrations for Problems in Middle East?
On Larry King last night Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice cast blame for the current problems in the Middle East on administrations the past 60 years.
I have to say that what has been a failure in Middle East policy is the last 60 years, in which we decided that we would try and trade democracy for stability and we got neither.And that policy produced the circumstances in which al Qaeda came into being, not just threatening our interests but literally threatening the homeland and so now we are on a difference course in the Middle East and it is a course that because it is different, because it insists on major change in the Middle East, is going to produce some turbulence. That's the nature of large-scale change.
Here’s my problem with this logic. Violent Islamic fundamentalist groups are the problem in the Middle East. Al Qaeda is estimated to have tens of thousands of followers worldwide. Sec. Rice cites Hezbollah as a terrorist group not for its political wing, but for its military capabilities, estimated at 3,000 to 5,000 fighters. What produces these relatively small groups of people intent on accomplishing their aims by violent means?
Why is large scale military intervention the method to drive widespread change? In Iraq, no Al Qaeda’s existed until democracy opened the door for them. In Lebanon the Israeli military is pummeling a country of 4.4 million to disable 5,000 guerillas. Why punish most of the citizens for the sins of 0.1% of the population?
The massive human suffering combined with over $2 billion in economic damage will do what to reduce the threat of Al Qaeda’s? What impact will it have on their future recruitment efforts? What impact will it have on peace in the region? The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has offered to send 10,000 warriors to defend Lebanon.
It is hard to believe that large scale conflict with its high human toll and economic devastation will result in a healthy rebirth. The traumatized infant will likely be physically and emotionally unhealthy. Why would anyone expect anything different as the parents are that way?
What kind of administration, in power for 6 years, would blame leaders from the past 6 decades for their abject policy failures? Not a healthy one.
I have to say that what has been a failure in Middle East policy is the last 60 years, in which we decided that we would try and trade democracy for stability and we got neither.And that policy produced the circumstances in which al Qaeda came into being, not just threatening our interests but literally threatening the homeland and so now we are on a difference course in the Middle East and it is a course that because it is different, because it insists on major change in the Middle East, is going to produce some turbulence. That's the nature of large-scale change.
Here’s my problem with this logic. Violent Islamic fundamentalist groups are the problem in the Middle East. Al Qaeda is estimated to have tens of thousands of followers worldwide. Sec. Rice cites Hezbollah as a terrorist group not for its political wing, but for its military capabilities, estimated at 3,000 to 5,000 fighters. What produces these relatively small groups of people intent on accomplishing their aims by violent means?
Why is large scale military intervention the method to drive widespread change? In Iraq, no Al Qaeda’s existed until democracy opened the door for them. In Lebanon the Israeli military is pummeling a country of 4.4 million to disable 5,000 guerillas. Why punish most of the citizens for the sins of 0.1% of the population?
The massive human suffering combined with over $2 billion in economic damage will do what to reduce the threat of Al Qaeda’s? What impact will it have on their future recruitment efforts? What impact will it have on peace in the region? The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has offered to send 10,000 warriors to defend Lebanon.
It is hard to believe that large scale conflict with its high human toll and economic devastation will result in a healthy rebirth. The traumatized infant will likely be physically and emotionally unhealthy. Why would anyone expect anything different as the parents are that way?
What kind of administration, in power for 6 years, would blame leaders from the past 6 decades for their abject policy failures? Not a healthy one.
Lebanese Embryo Update
While President Bush lounges in Crawford, the life he recently committed to protect from harm teeters precariously in Beirut, Lebanon. American made precision guided bombs and an Israeli blockade together produce massive fuel shortages in war torn Lebanon. The result of the lack of power, hospitals may soon close.
In Beirut, the American University of Beirut Medical Center faces the same problem of fuel shortages. "We are already experiencing power cuts, and we are getting our power from two suppliers; Electricite du Liban (EDL) and our power plant, which we use only when there is no alternative. We are receiving power for about 10 hours a day now, but obviously this is not guaranteed each day and recently the power cuts have been more prolonged," said Dr. George Tomey, acting president of AUB.
The Medical Center, and hospitals in general, are now obliged to either postpone operations, or cancel them completely as the lack of electricity means rationing what is still available. Furthermore, if EDL is still denied access to the necessary fuel, then hospitals will have no option but to shut down. Tomey has already begun to introduce rationing schemes, primarily cutting down on unnecessary fuel consumption, so the amount used per day has been reduced to 22,000 liters, which is half of their normal intake.
"Our biggest problem is that a good percentage of our patients are passing through our emergency and operating rooms, and the constant power cuts make their conditions that much more critical. The same goes for those already in intensive care," stated Tomey, "But if they don't release the fuel that is waiting to arrive soon, then we will probably have to shut down within a week."
The other problem concerns AUBMC’s assisted reproductive technology program which has frozen embryos. Just weeks ago President Bush vetoed a bill expanding stem cell lines for life saving research. He said:
Each of these human embryos is a unique human life with inherent dignity and matchless value.
If this bill would have become law, American taxpayers would, for the first time in our history, be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos. And I'm not going to allow it.
This speech came one week after the Israeli revenge inspired war machine began chewing up Lebanon. The United States provides Israel with over $2 billion in military support according to the State Department website.
Israel’s military spending in 2005 totaled $9.45 billion, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP, and represents 16.3% of government expenditures. The United States provides approximately $2.4 billion per year in security assistance.
In 1983, the United States and Israel established the Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development.
The U.S. also collaborates with Israel on a Joint Terrorism taskforce which also meets twice a year. As the current Israeli operation targets a terrorist group, one could easily surmise the United States knowledge of such a plan. The $2.4 billion in security assistance is American taxpayer money. It provides Israel with ¼ of its military funding.
It is no stretch to conclude that U.S. funding of the Israeli war machine will lead to the deliberate destruction of human embryos per the orders and actions of President George W. Bush. Unless Condi evacuated the embryos in her surprise trip to Beirut?
In Beirut, the American University of Beirut Medical Center faces the same problem of fuel shortages. "We are already experiencing power cuts, and we are getting our power from two suppliers; Electricite du Liban (EDL) and our power plant, which we use only when there is no alternative. We are receiving power for about 10 hours a day now, but obviously this is not guaranteed each day and recently the power cuts have been more prolonged," said Dr. George Tomey, acting president of AUB.
The Medical Center, and hospitals in general, are now obliged to either postpone operations, or cancel them completely as the lack of electricity means rationing what is still available. Furthermore, if EDL is still denied access to the necessary fuel, then hospitals will have no option but to shut down. Tomey has already begun to introduce rationing schemes, primarily cutting down on unnecessary fuel consumption, so the amount used per day has been reduced to 22,000 liters, which is half of their normal intake.
"Our biggest problem is that a good percentage of our patients are passing through our emergency and operating rooms, and the constant power cuts make their conditions that much more critical. The same goes for those already in intensive care," stated Tomey, "But if they don't release the fuel that is waiting to arrive soon, then we will probably have to shut down within a week."
The other problem concerns AUBMC’s assisted reproductive technology program which has frozen embryos. Just weeks ago President Bush vetoed a bill expanding stem cell lines for life saving research. He said:
Each of these human embryos is a unique human life with inherent dignity and matchless value.
If this bill would have become law, American taxpayers would, for the first time in our history, be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos. And I'm not going to allow it.
This speech came one week after the Israeli revenge inspired war machine began chewing up Lebanon. The United States provides Israel with over $2 billion in military support according to the State Department website.
Israel’s military spending in 2005 totaled $9.45 billion, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP, and represents 16.3% of government expenditures. The United States provides approximately $2.4 billion per year in security assistance.
In 1983, the United States and Israel established the Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development.
The U.S. also collaborates with Israel on a Joint Terrorism taskforce which also meets twice a year. As the current Israeli operation targets a terrorist group, one could easily surmise the United States knowledge of such a plan. The $2.4 billion in security assistance is American taxpayer money. It provides Israel with ¼ of its military funding.
It is no stretch to conclude that U.S. funding of the Israeli war machine will lead to the deliberate destruction of human embryos per the orders and actions of President George W. Bush. Unless Condi evacuated the embryos in her surprise trip to Beirut?
With Israel’s Destruction of Lebanon, Bush Now Irrelevant in Eyes of World
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said "It is a war of starvation launched by Israel against Lebanon," he said. "It is an aggression that has exceeded Israel's declared objectives. Israel has now decided to destroy Lebanon."
Does he not read get Israeli TV? This objective came from an Israeli military leader the same day of the Hezbollah kidnappings on July 12th. Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years.”
Given the bombings of bridges in Northern Lebanon where is the Israeli war machine on its clock turning? How long does it take to rebuild $2 billion worth of infrastructure?
Meanwhile Condi Rice repeats her assertion a resolution is forthcoming in days for the nth time? And the resolution appears to be what the world, sans U.S., has called for from Day 1.
The world now feels like the average American last September. Appalled by what’s happening and amazed our government could be so ineffectual in stopping widespread human suffering. Bush made himself irrelevant for most Americans after Hurricane Katrina. We knew we couldn’t trust him to help the average citizen. The question is how much might we be hurt by his attention to his corporate and high dollar friends?
The same happens worldwide as people watch the appalling goings on in Lebanon. Not only will the Bush team abandon its own citizens in a time of crisis, it willingly has abandoned a whole country of 4.4 million people. All this so Israel can reduce the threat of 5,000 Hezbollah guerillas?
No, something much bigger and more sinister is happening. I would say ask Bush & Olmert but their in-transparent transparency precludes them from giving an honest accounting. Besides Bush is on vacation and we know how he doesn't like the tough questions when he is doing "hard work"!
Does he not read get Israeli TV? This objective came from an Israeli military leader the same day of the Hezbollah kidnappings on July 12th. Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years.”
Given the bombings of bridges in Northern Lebanon where is the Israeli war machine on its clock turning? How long does it take to rebuild $2 billion worth of infrastructure?
Meanwhile Condi Rice repeats her assertion a resolution is forthcoming in days for the nth time? And the resolution appears to be what the world, sans U.S., has called for from Day 1.
The world now feels like the average American last September. Appalled by what’s happening and amazed our government could be so ineffectual in stopping widespread human suffering. Bush made himself irrelevant for most Americans after Hurricane Katrina. We knew we couldn’t trust him to help the average citizen. The question is how much might we be hurt by his attention to his corporate and high dollar friends?
The same happens worldwide as people watch the appalling goings on in Lebanon. Not only will the Bush team abandon its own citizens in a time of crisis, it willingly has abandoned a whole country of 4.4 million people. All this so Israel can reduce the threat of 5,000 Hezbollah guerillas?
No, something much bigger and more sinister is happening. I would say ask Bush & Olmert but their in-transparent transparency precludes them from giving an honest accounting. Besides Bush is on vacation and we know how he doesn't like the tough questions when he is doing "hard work"!
Two Cans Opened in Middle East Conflict
President Bush allowed Israel to open a can of whupass on its democratic neighbor to the north and in doing so a second can opened in Iraq, a tin full of worms. The target of the Israeli revenge inspired war machine are Shiite Muslims, the majority in Iraq. Yesterday hundreds of thousands of Shiites protested in Baghdad. Their refain? “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”. The Iraqi Defense Ministry approved the demonstation.
It seems democracy in the region ingested two large cans of Bush beans and now has painful gas as a result. The problem is the malodorous byproduct can be smelled around the world. What will President Bush do about it? Four weeks into the war, the administration appears to be moving towards the cease fire the world called for Day 1 of the conflict. Foot and knuckle dragging likely won’t remove the odor anytime soon.
The irony of the matter is Sec. Condi Rice claims these are Clinton Beans! After 6 years in office one might think the region had already passed any of Bill's gas. Nope, this is all George's.
It seems democracy in the region ingested two large cans of Bush beans and now has painful gas as a result. The problem is the malodorous byproduct can be smelled around the world. What will President Bush do about it? Four weeks into the war, the administration appears to be moving towards the cease fire the world called for Day 1 of the conflict. Foot and knuckle dragging likely won’t remove the odor anytime soon.
The irony of the matter is Sec. Condi Rice claims these are Clinton Beans! After 6 years in office one might think the region had already passed any of Bill's gas. Nope, this is all George's.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Bush Ignores Allies in Middle East to America’s Detriment
Before President Bush unleashed “Shock and Awe” to free Iraq and create a stabilizing democracy in the region, U.S. allies gave caution that the nation could split among sectarian lines thus destabilizing the region. With three years of hindsight, whose prediction was correct? Score:
Middle East Allies 1 Bush/Cheny 0
After the free elections in Palestine, our allies encouraged a policy of engagement with Hamas warning of greater divisions if the U.S. remained disconnected.
Middle East Allies 2 Bush/Cheney 0
Almost immediately after Israel’s invasion of the fledgling democracy of Lebanon, America’s allies universally called for an immediate cease fire. The call grew louder after the massacre of innocent women and children in Qana. They warn of increasing consequences for those perpetrating violence or delaying any cessation of violence.
Middle East Allies 2.5 Bush/Cheney 0
How did our allies get a half a point? It came from King Abdullah’s statement.
Jordan's King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, issued an ominous warning to America and Israel that the prolonged battle in Lebanon has weakened moderates all across the Mideast. Even if Hezbollah is destroyed, the hostility toward Israel is so high that another such group may pop up in Syria, Egypt, Iraq - or even his own country, King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, said, according to published reports. Later that same day the King urged a "unified Arab position" on the conflict. In his mind Israel's "aggression has exceeded all limits."
The Bush/Cheney team has nearly struck out in the Middle East. Is anyone surprised the “Can’t Shoot Straight Gang” continually misses the target? That and they can’t tell the truth.
Middle East Allies 1 Bush/Cheny 0
After the free elections in Palestine, our allies encouraged a policy of engagement with Hamas warning of greater divisions if the U.S. remained disconnected.
Middle East Allies 2 Bush/Cheney 0
Almost immediately after Israel’s invasion of the fledgling democracy of Lebanon, America’s allies universally called for an immediate cease fire. The call grew louder after the massacre of innocent women and children in Qana. They warn of increasing consequences for those perpetrating violence or delaying any cessation of violence.
Middle East Allies 2.5 Bush/Cheney 0
How did our allies get a half a point? It came from King Abdullah’s statement.
Jordan's King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, issued an ominous warning to America and Israel that the prolonged battle in Lebanon has weakened moderates all across the Mideast. Even if Hezbollah is destroyed, the hostility toward Israel is so high that another such group may pop up in Syria, Egypt, Iraq - or even his own country, King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, said, according to published reports. Later that same day the King urged a "unified Arab position" on the conflict. In his mind Israel's "aggression has exceeded all limits."
The Bush/Cheney team has nearly struck out in the Middle East. Is anyone surprised the “Can’t Shoot Straight Gang” continually misses the target? That and they can’t tell the truth.
New Religion for American Leaders, Money as the Solution to All Problems
The state of Arizona will consider a measure that pays one lucky voter $1 million dollars on their ballot this November. The logic is similar to corporate leaders, people won’t do anything worthwhile unless paid or given the opportunity to reward.
Studies actually show the opposite. People performing a task, normally challenging and rewarding “in and of itself”, lose interest when compensated. It’s as if people say “If they have to pay me to do that, it must not be very fun”.
The other problem with throwing money out as solution to every problem is the causes remain. Giving people a lottery ticket to vote does not deal with the underlying reasons they haven’t been voting in the first place. Should selecting hyper-competitive far right or far left candidates and running negative campaign keep people away from the polls, how would a bribe help?
One Arizona voter had this to say about the proposed payoff for voting:
David Garcia, 36, said the idea makes him uncomfortable: "The government encouraging democracy through a monetary reward I think starts to go down some slippery slopes. Just for some reason, mixing the two together doesn't sit well with me."
Mr. Garcia should call President Bush and Congress as that is the exact method they plan to use to spread democracy in Cuba, through monetary reward. What kinds of people will they draw with this approach? Did they not learn their lesson with Mr. Chalabi in Iraq?
Studies actually show the opposite. People performing a task, normally challenging and rewarding “in and of itself”, lose interest when compensated. It’s as if people say “If they have to pay me to do that, it must not be very fun”.
The other problem with throwing money out as solution to every problem is the causes remain. Giving people a lottery ticket to vote does not deal with the underlying reasons they haven’t been voting in the first place. Should selecting hyper-competitive far right or far left candidates and running negative campaign keep people away from the polls, how would a bribe help?
One Arizona voter had this to say about the proposed payoff for voting:
David Garcia, 36, said the idea makes him uncomfortable: "The government encouraging democracy through a monetary reward I think starts to go down some slippery slopes. Just for some reason, mixing the two together doesn't sit well with me."
Mr. Garcia should call President Bush and Congress as that is the exact method they plan to use to spread democracy in Cuba, through monetary reward. What kinds of people will they draw with this approach? Did they not learn their lesson with Mr. Chalabi in Iraq?
Iranian President Invites Israel to Nuke Him
With his inflammatory language Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad might have just invited the full force of Israel’s war machine be unleashed on him and his country. While attending a meeting of Islamic countries the Iranian President said:
"Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented….Israel is an illegitimate regime, there is no legal basis for its existence"
In his diatribe Ahmadinejad accused Muslims countries to isolate the United States and Britain for their support of Israel. His comments place him in danger of isolation. The question is which way direction will Middle Eastern leaders place their loyalty? Bush plays a dirty game of division domestically. It appears he is doing likewise in the region.
Tempers grow short in the region as no material progress is made toward peace as fighting enters its 4th week. All Middle Eastern countries have called for an immediate cease fire, in that they are unified. Will Bush have succeeded in uniting Muslim countries against the United States? Time will tell.
In the meantime the greater war plan is executed. Nukes over Tehran? Bush and Olmert relish the sight. My vote is for all three to step down, and if not, for all nuclear weapons in the region to be destroyed. That way inflammatory leaders like Bush, Olmert and Ahmadinejad won’t have access to weapons of mass destruction. None are trustworthy enough to bear such a profound responsibility.
"Although the main solution is for the elimination of the Zionist regime, at this stage an immediate cease-fire must be implemented….Israel is an illegitimate regime, there is no legal basis for its existence"
In his diatribe Ahmadinejad accused Muslims countries to isolate the United States and Britain for their support of Israel. His comments place him in danger of isolation. The question is which way direction will Middle Eastern leaders place their loyalty? Bush plays a dirty game of division domestically. It appears he is doing likewise in the region.
Tempers grow short in the region as no material progress is made toward peace as fighting enters its 4th week. All Middle Eastern countries have called for an immediate cease fire, in that they are unified. Will Bush have succeeded in uniting Muslim countries against the United States? Time will tell.
In the meantime the greater war plan is executed. Nukes over Tehran? Bush and Olmert relish the sight. My vote is for all three to step down, and if not, for all nuclear weapons in the region to be destroyed. That way inflammatory leaders like Bush, Olmert and Ahmadinejad won’t have access to weapons of mass destruction. None are trustworthy enough to bear such a profound responsibility.
Bush’s Embryos at Risk in Beirut
With the power down to 12 hours a day in Beirut, the American University Hospital in Beirut must run their emergency generators to keep embryos frozen. The generators need fuel to continue operating but there are considerable barriers to getting fuel delivered to and moved around Lebanon.
Thanks to American funded planes and munitions, the embryos are at risk. Recall President Bush’s words at his veto of Stem Cell legislation.
Each of these human embryos is a unique human life with inherent dignity and matchless value.
If this bill would have become law, American taxpayers would, for the first time in our history, be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos. And I'm not going to allow it.
Domestically President Bush would not allow it, but internationally his policies do. Bush’s knuckle dragging on a cease fire ensures the Israeli destruction machine continues to devastate Lebanon.
What was the state of reproductive technology twenty years ago? As an Israeli military chief stated that as a goal, how will the frozen embryos President Bush loves so dearly fare?
On July 12th Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years.
For a frozen embryo does that mean deliberate destruction? And who’s funding and supporting the Israeli war machine? That would be President Bush. I would call him our Liar in Chief but he may perform a daring rescue of the life he holds so dear. We will have to wait in this case to see if his words match his actions.
Thanks to American funded planes and munitions, the embryos are at risk. Recall President Bush’s words at his veto of Stem Cell legislation.
Each of these human embryos is a unique human life with inherent dignity and matchless value.
If this bill would have become law, American taxpayers would, for the first time in our history, be compelled to fund the deliberate destruction of human embryos. And I'm not going to allow it.
Domestically President Bush would not allow it, but internationally his policies do. Bush’s knuckle dragging on a cease fire ensures the Israeli destruction machine continues to devastate Lebanon.
What was the state of reproductive technology twenty years ago? As an Israeli military chief stated that as a goal, how will the frozen embryos President Bush loves so dearly fare?
On July 12th Israel's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, told Israel's Channel 10, "If the soldiers are not returned, we will turn Lebanon's clock back 20 years.
For a frozen embryo does that mean deliberate destruction? And who’s funding and supporting the Israeli war machine? That would be President Bush. I would call him our Liar in Chief but he may perform a daring rescue of the life he holds so dear. We will have to wait in this case to see if his words match his actions.
U.S. Heading Back to Witch Trials for Detainees, No Trials for Super Rich
With the U.S. Attorney General promoting the use of hearsay evidence, withholding classified evidence from the accused and the introduction of coerced testimony America takes a giant step back into its past. Reminiscent of the Witch Trials, innocent people could easily be convicted using these methods.
While vacationing recently I read of Virginia’s pardoning of the Witch of Pungo. Hearsay evidence pointed to her being a witch as crops failed and violent storms pelted the area. Her testimony was coerced by repeated dunkings in the Lynnhaven River which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt this person to be a witch. After all she did float when a good Christian woman would have sunk.
It took 300 years for the poor witch to be legally pardoned for the State’s mistake. How might people in the future look back at the federal government’s foot dragging and endless machinations to keep bad people behind bars, no matter the price to America’s values?
Hearsay, coerced testimony, withholding evidence? Any one of us could end up behind bars under such a scenario. For money some people will do just about anything. However those with a lot of it seem to have a more friendly justice system.
Just ask Sam and Charles Wyly, walking around free despite ripping off Uncle Sam with illegal offshore financial transactions. Their nefarious schemes occupy nearly 300 pages of a 400 page Senate report on the super rich bailing on taxes due the federal government. It helps to be tight with President Bush.
While vacationing recently I read of Virginia’s pardoning of the Witch of Pungo. Hearsay evidence pointed to her being a witch as crops failed and violent storms pelted the area. Her testimony was coerced by repeated dunkings in the Lynnhaven River which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt this person to be a witch. After all she did float when a good Christian woman would have sunk.
It took 300 years for the poor witch to be legally pardoned for the State’s mistake. How might people in the future look back at the federal government’s foot dragging and endless machinations to keep bad people behind bars, no matter the price to America’s values?
Hearsay, coerced testimony, withholding evidence? Any one of us could end up behind bars under such a scenario. For money some people will do just about anything. However those with a lot of it seem to have a more friendly justice system.
Just ask Sam and Charles Wyly, walking around free despite ripping off Uncle Sam with illegal offshore financial transactions. Their nefarious schemes occupy nearly 300 pages of a 400 page Senate report on the super rich bailing on taxes due the federal government. It helps to be tight with President Bush.
Heavy Price Paid to Knock Out 5,000 Hezbollah Fighters
Israel’s stated aim is to wipe out Hezbollah’s military capabilities, to create a buffer zone from which the terrorists cannot launch attacks on Israel. A U.S. military expert on CNN estimated there to be 3,000 to 5,000 Hezbollah fighters in Southern Lebanon, a country of 4.4 million people.
Estimates of Israel’s damage to the country sits at $2 billion. It grows every hour. The loss of life approaches 900 dead and 3,000 wounded according Lebanese Prime Minister Saniora. A map of targeted areas indicates the country as a whole to be under attack, not just Hezbollah’s territory in Southern Lebanon.
To any rational person, this pattern of destruction seems excessive, even unwarranted. Does Israel really need to destroy much of a country to root out 5,000 fighters?
How many new fighters will join the cause in response to Israel’s aggression? The meeting of Islamic Countries produced widespread condemnation of Israel’s war and demands for the ineffectual U.N. Security Council to intervene. It clearly would have done so by now if not for the United States intransigence. One moderate Islamic leader had this to say at the conference.
"This war must stop, or it will radicalize the Muslim world, even those of us who are moderate today," said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who leads the world's most populous Muslim country. "From there, it will be just one step away to that ultimate nightmare: a clash of civilizations."
What will it take to root out 100,000 fundamentalist Islamic fighters worldwide? Will that require $40 billion in infrastructure damages, the loss of 18,000 lives with over 60,000 wounded?
When will the people select leaders mature enough to settle their differences without pugilism? When will elected leaders utilize methods that produce peaceful, lasting change instead of breaks in the cycle of violence? While this may be the Bush rhetoric, its actions belie their very position. They care about Israel getting its way. That much is crystal clear.
Estimates of Israel’s damage to the country sits at $2 billion. It grows every hour. The loss of life approaches 900 dead and 3,000 wounded according Lebanese Prime Minister Saniora. A map of targeted areas indicates the country as a whole to be under attack, not just Hezbollah’s territory in Southern Lebanon.
To any rational person, this pattern of destruction seems excessive, even unwarranted. Does Israel really need to destroy much of a country to root out 5,000 fighters?
How many new fighters will join the cause in response to Israel’s aggression? The meeting of Islamic Countries produced widespread condemnation of Israel’s war and demands for the ineffectual U.N. Security Council to intervene. It clearly would have done so by now if not for the United States intransigence. One moderate Islamic leader had this to say at the conference.
"This war must stop, or it will radicalize the Muslim world, even those of us who are moderate today," said Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who leads the world's most populous Muslim country. "From there, it will be just one step away to that ultimate nightmare: a clash of civilizations."
What will it take to root out 100,000 fundamentalist Islamic fighters worldwide? Will that require $40 billion in infrastructure damages, the loss of 18,000 lives with over 60,000 wounded?
When will the people select leaders mature enough to settle their differences without pugilism? When will elected leaders utilize methods that produce peaceful, lasting change instead of breaks in the cycle of violence? While this may be the Bush rhetoric, its actions belie their very position. They care about Israel getting its way. That much is crystal clear.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Republicans Looking for Cuban Chalabis
With the news of Fidel Castro’s ill health, U.S. leaders are looking to facilitate a little regime change in Cuba. An AP report had this to say:
The White House and Congress, caught unaware by Fidel Castro's illness, prepared Wednesday for a possible showdown in Cuba as lawmakers drafted legislation that would give millions of dollars to dissidents who fight for democratic change.
"The message will be, `The United States stands with you,'" Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., one of the bill's authors, said in an interview. "Be ready to assert your independence."
For now, Bush administration officials and members of Congress were focused on offering dissidents cash for fighting for democratic change.
Legislation sponsored by Nelson, fellow Floridian Mel Martinez, Majority Leader Bill Frist and others would authorize as much as $80 million over two years - and pay half of that almost immediately - to dissidents and nongovernmental organizations on the island.
Recommended by a presidential commission three weeks ago, the legislation says those eligible for the money would include political prisoners, workers' rights organizations, independent libraries, journalists, doctors and economists.
Fidel's step down from power presents "a window of opportunity that is so important for the United States, for the American people and the international community to help the Cuban people free themselves," said Representative Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, also of Cuban descent.
The Bush team had such success with the Iraqi National Congress and Ahmad Chalabi that it is recruiting again. I want to know when the Bush team will fund American dissidents looking to restore our democracy?
The White House and Congress, caught unaware by Fidel Castro's illness, prepared Wednesday for a possible showdown in Cuba as lawmakers drafted legislation that would give millions of dollars to dissidents who fight for democratic change.
"The message will be, `The United States stands with you,'" Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., one of the bill's authors, said in an interview. "Be ready to assert your independence."
For now, Bush administration officials and members of Congress were focused on offering dissidents cash for fighting for democratic change.
Legislation sponsored by Nelson, fellow Floridian Mel Martinez, Majority Leader Bill Frist and others would authorize as much as $80 million over two years - and pay half of that almost immediately - to dissidents and nongovernmental organizations on the island.
Recommended by a presidential commission three weeks ago, the legislation says those eligible for the money would include political prisoners, workers' rights organizations, independent libraries, journalists, doctors and economists.
Fidel's step down from power presents "a window of opportunity that is so important for the United States, for the American people and the international community to help the Cuban people free themselves," said Representative Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, also of Cuban descent.
The Bush team had such success with the Iraqi National Congress and Ahmad Chalabi that it is recruiting again. I want to know when the Bush team will fund American dissidents looking to restore our democracy?
Bush Aids Super Rich, Tax Cheat, Campaign Donors by Cutting Enforcement, Rumsfeld Refuses to Report to Senate Armed Services Committee
In several bold administrative moves, the Bush team executed its Executive privileges. President Bush slashed IRS staff just in the nick of time with a Senate Committee hearing reports of how the super rich illegally avoid taxes via offshore schemes. A New York Times article last week revealed the IRS slashed enforcement staff charged with monitoring the super rich.
“six I.R.S. estate tax lawyers whose jobs are likely to be eliminated said in interviews that the cuts were just the latest moves behind the scenes at the I.R.S. to shield people with political connections and complex tax-avoidance devices from thorough audits."
Guess who didn’t show for the Senate hearing on unethical tax practices? Two brothers, Sam and Charles Wyly are good friends of President Bush having contributed huge dollars his election campaign. Charles achieved the Pioneer designation for mobilizing over $100,000 in the 2000 election. The brothers’ illegal tax avoidance schemes comprise almost 300 of the 400 page report.
Bush has zero tolerance for people stealing food, water and shoes after a hurricane but can’t seem to hold the line on IRS enforcement on the super rich. It turns out wealthy offshore tax cheating costs the government $40 to 70 billion a year. This corresponds to the annual projected cost of eliminating the Estate Tax, approximately $75 billion a year. Should that pass and the Bush team not enforce existing laws, the super rich benefit to the tune of almost $150 billion a year! That is 4 times as much as last years cut in social services of $40 billion.
Inspired by the Wyly’s Senate no show, Sec. Donald Rumsfeld also passed on giving testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Iraq. How will the Senate feel about Donald’s next Pentagon budget request? Probably the same way the average American feels about Bush giving free passes to his super rich, tax cheat, campaign donors.
“six I.R.S. estate tax lawyers whose jobs are likely to be eliminated said in interviews that the cuts were just the latest moves behind the scenes at the I.R.S. to shield people with political connections and complex tax-avoidance devices from thorough audits."
Guess who didn’t show for the Senate hearing on unethical tax practices? Two brothers, Sam and Charles Wyly are good friends of President Bush having contributed huge dollars his election campaign. Charles achieved the Pioneer designation for mobilizing over $100,000 in the 2000 election. The brothers’ illegal tax avoidance schemes comprise almost 300 of the 400 page report.
Bush has zero tolerance for people stealing food, water and shoes after a hurricane but can’t seem to hold the line on IRS enforcement on the super rich. It turns out wealthy offshore tax cheating costs the government $40 to 70 billion a year. This corresponds to the annual projected cost of eliminating the Estate Tax, approximately $75 billion a year. Should that pass and the Bush team not enforce existing laws, the super rich benefit to the tune of almost $150 billion a year! That is 4 times as much as last years cut in social services of $40 billion.
Inspired by the Wyly’s Senate no show, Sec. Donald Rumsfeld also passed on giving testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Iraq. How will the Senate feel about Donald’s next Pentagon budget request? Probably the same way the average American feels about Bush giving free passes to his super rich, tax cheat, campaign donors.
U.S. Workers Concerned About Corporate Ethics
Why did 82% of surveyed workers say they would take a lesser paying job to work at an ethical business? Why do 94% of U.S. workers say it is critical or important that their employer be ethical? What American business practices are sending the message that ethics are optional? Otherwise why would these numbers be so widespread?
Dr. Edwards W. Deming, the famed leadership guru, said “a mangers job is to improve the system”. That means getting the parts of the system to work together optimally on behalf of the customer. The ethics numbers indicate one of two things. People are behaving unethically with each other within the business or the company is treating its customers in an untoward manner.
Dr. Deming also said “we are being ruined by the best efforts of people who are doing the wrong things”. Most of those poor practices fall in management’s realm. Any pay system that drives internal competition produces suboptimal behavior and eventually ruin. Most stock options, bonuses and pay for performance fall into this category.
Short term thinking, ranking people, incentive pay, arbitrary numerical goals, management by results, buying at the lowest bid, and delegating quality to a group all contribute to suboptimization or losses to the organization. Most of these practices are widespread in American business, education and government.
The management guru spoke to how people achieve numerical goals. They can use redefinition of term or distortion and faking. Might these be the practices that concern American workers.
In the ever perverse world of the Bush administration, it more than achieved its target of spending 23% of the federal budget with “small businesses”. It did so by contracting with large companies and then checking the small enterprise box on the federal form. The small companies include:
The Associated Press, The New York Times Co., USA Today International Corp., Bloomberg L.P. and the Public Broadcasting Service
Also classified as small were ExxonMobil and Microsoft Corp. Yes, only in some alternate reality are these behemoths considered small companies. Is that where our President lives?
The survey results combined with real world stories reveal unethical business practices to be commonplace in America. It is hard to believe Western values will sell over the people in the Middle East in light of these findings. If they do win out, the bar is set incredibly low.
Dr. Edwards W. Deming, the famed leadership guru, said “a mangers job is to improve the system”. That means getting the parts of the system to work together optimally on behalf of the customer. The ethics numbers indicate one of two things. People are behaving unethically with each other within the business or the company is treating its customers in an untoward manner.
Dr. Deming also said “we are being ruined by the best efforts of people who are doing the wrong things”. Most of those poor practices fall in management’s realm. Any pay system that drives internal competition produces suboptimal behavior and eventually ruin. Most stock options, bonuses and pay for performance fall into this category.
Short term thinking, ranking people, incentive pay, arbitrary numerical goals, management by results, buying at the lowest bid, and delegating quality to a group all contribute to suboptimization or losses to the organization. Most of these practices are widespread in American business, education and government.
The management guru spoke to how people achieve numerical goals. They can use redefinition of term or distortion and faking. Might these be the practices that concern American workers.
In the ever perverse world of the Bush administration, it more than achieved its target of spending 23% of the federal budget with “small businesses”. It did so by contracting with large companies and then checking the small enterprise box on the federal form. The small companies include:
The Associated Press, The New York Times Co., USA Today International Corp., Bloomberg L.P. and the Public Broadcasting Service
Also classified as small were ExxonMobil and Microsoft Corp. Yes, only in some alternate reality are these behemoths considered small companies. Is that where our President lives?
The survey results combined with real world stories reveal unethical business practices to be commonplace in America. It is hard to believe Western values will sell over the people in the Middle East in light of these findings. If they do win out, the bar is set incredibly low.
Better Way to Cut Taxes, Expand the Wyly’s Business Practices Ten Fold
Rather than eliminate the Estate Tax at a cost of $753 billion dollars over 10 years, the Republican leadership should simply expand the offshore tax havens for the super rich 10 fold. The current tax abuses by the wealthy cost Uncle Sam upwards of $70 billion a year. These taxes would make their way into federal coffers if the rich behaved legally and ethically.
However President Bush needs to cut another $40 billion in social programs like last year so the wealthy can maintain their optional tax status. Rather than add another bill to the “hard work” the Senate performs on behalf of their base, simply have the Wyly’s share their tax avoidant practices with the whole country.
The plus for the Wyly brothers (soon to be some $500 million richer from the sale of Michael’s Stores) is they can make more money doing tax consulting. President Bush likes to steer federal business to his major donors so this “kills two birds with one stone”.
P.S. This post is deep sarcasm aimed at President Bush, Senator Bill Frist and other leaders ensuring their friends are enriched at the expense of the average American.
However President Bush needs to cut another $40 billion in social programs like last year so the wealthy can maintain their optional tax status. Rather than add another bill to the “hard work” the Senate performs on behalf of their base, simply have the Wyly’s share their tax avoidant practices with the whole country.
The plus for the Wyly brothers (soon to be some $500 million richer from the sale of Michael’s Stores) is they can make more money doing tax consulting. President Bush likes to steer federal business to his major donors so this “kills two birds with one stone”.
P.S. This post is deep sarcasm aimed at President Bush, Senator Bill Frist and other leaders ensuring their friends are enriched at the expense of the average American.
Slippery Wyly’s Join Bush Pioneer Abramoff and Ranger Tobin in Trouble with the Law
Yet another big Bush contributor has run afoul of the law. Sam and Charles Wyly are prominently featured in the Senate’s report on super rich tax abusers that cost Uncle Sam upwards of $40 to 70 billion a year. The Wyly’s complex schemes comprise almost 300 pages of the 400 page report. The news had this to say about their methods.
The subcommittee said the Wylys from 1992 to 2005 moved over 17 million stock options and warrants worth about $190 million into a web of 58 offshore trusts and shell companies. The Wylys used annuity payment agreements to avoid taxes on the options for years, the panel said.
The options involved came from companies linked to the Wylys -- retailer Michaels Stores Inc., Sterling Software Inc. and Sterling Commerce Inc., the panel said. Investment gains from the trusts went to loans, business ventures, real estate and "art, furnishings and jewelry for the personal use of Wyly family members," the report said.
William Brewer, a lawyer for the Wylys, said his clients relied on lawyers and accountants for advice and "continue to believe that their actions were entirely proper under law."
The brothers refused to testify before the Senate committee. Will the fact that Charles Wyly achieved Bush Pioneer status impact the application of the law in this case? Previous Bush high dollar fundraisers now in legal trouble include the infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff and political consultant James Tobin.
If America provides the best justice money can buy, the Wyly’s are in luck. Their take from the sale of Michael’s Stores should be huge. With the buyout pegged at $44 per share, the brothers Wyly stand to rake it in!
Charles Wyly owns over 6 million shares of Michael’s Stores while his brother Sam owns over 4.8 million shares. At the agreed purchase price of $44 per share, this makes Charles’ holding worth $266 million and Sam’s $211 million. With those sales proceeds the Wyly’s will be able to continue to fund the Republican money machine and purchase the best justice America has to offer. Want to be there is no jail time?
The subcommittee said the Wylys from 1992 to 2005 moved over 17 million stock options and warrants worth about $190 million into a web of 58 offshore trusts and shell companies. The Wylys used annuity payment agreements to avoid taxes on the options for years, the panel said.
The options involved came from companies linked to the Wylys -- retailer Michaels Stores Inc., Sterling Software Inc. and Sterling Commerce Inc., the panel said. Investment gains from the trusts went to loans, business ventures, real estate and "art, furnishings and jewelry for the personal use of Wyly family members," the report said.
William Brewer, a lawyer for the Wylys, said his clients relied on lawyers and accountants for advice and "continue to believe that their actions were entirely proper under law."
The brothers refused to testify before the Senate committee. Will the fact that Charles Wyly achieved Bush Pioneer status impact the application of the law in this case? Previous Bush high dollar fundraisers now in legal trouble include the infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff and political consultant James Tobin.
If America provides the best justice money can buy, the Wyly’s are in luck. Their take from the sale of Michael’s Stores should be huge. With the buyout pegged at $44 per share, the brothers Wyly stand to rake it in!
Charles Wyly owns over 6 million shares of Michael’s Stores while his brother Sam owns over 4.8 million shares. At the agreed purchase price of $44 per share, this makes Charles’ holding worth $266 million and Sam’s $211 million. With those sales proceeds the Wyly’s will be able to continue to fund the Republican money machine and purchase the best justice America has to offer. Want to be there is no jail time?
Bush Drags His Knuckles on Middle East Peace, Olmert Calls it “Difficult Work”
The new Abbot and Costello have hit the world’s stage. President Bush has long complained being President is “hard work”. He even cut his six week vacation short last Fall to dip his wings over the bowlful of human misery post Hurricane Katrina. The U.S. President now has company in that department. Israeli Prime Minister Olmert just stated:
It's not easy, it's very difficult, but we are elected to our positions to do things and not to sit idle…. Though in Israel, every day is like a year in other places
President Bush’s team has accomplished nothing, zip, nada to date on stemming the violence in Lebanon. U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton continues to talk about possibilities. The United Nations Security Council, per Bush’s orders, has not weighed in on the over three week old war.
Yes, Virginia it is hard work being a world leader today. But what should we do with the clowns that take the easy route by pursuing violence, force and aggression to get their way? I say the people give these hard working leaders what they so desperately need, a vacation from office.
It's not easy, it's very difficult, but we are elected to our positions to do things and not to sit idle…. Though in Israel, every day is like a year in other places
President Bush’s team has accomplished nothing, zip, nada to date on stemming the violence in Lebanon. U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton continues to talk about possibilities. The United Nations Security Council, per Bush’s orders, has not weighed in on the over three week old war.
Yes, Virginia it is hard work being a world leader today. But what should we do with the clowns that take the easy route by pursuing violence, force and aggression to get their way? I say the people give these hard working leaders what they so desperately need, a vacation from office.
Olmert Declares His Intentions to Continue Pursuing Unilateral Peace, Bush Backs Him
President Bush and Prime Minister Olmert have made it crystal clear peace will happen on their terms or not at all. The Israeli Prime Minister in just 4 months on the job has told the Palestinians to elect someone he can negotiate with in 4 months or take his offer. As no Palestinian elections are slated in that time frame, they will just have to accept his terms. That is the message Olmert is sending the Palestinians via his huge foray into Lebanon.
He likes to disguise these facts with words like:
“I'll surprise you. I genuinely believe that the outcome of the present (conflict) and the emergence of a new order that will provide more stability and will defeat the forces of terror will help create the necessary environment that will allow me ... to create a new momentum between us and the Palestinians.”
As the neighborhood bully, Olmert will be able to impose his conditions upon the Palestinian people but peace cannot be imposed by one party of the agreement. It cannot be forced from the outside despite President Bush’s fervent intentions.
How can a new Middle East arise solely from the actions of two Western countries, one which lives in the neighborhood? It can’t. That Bush and Olmert haven’t figured this out is most concerning. What else are they not taking into account?
He likes to disguise these facts with words like:
“I'll surprise you. I genuinely believe that the outcome of the present (conflict) and the emergence of a new order that will provide more stability and will defeat the forces of terror will help create the necessary environment that will allow me ... to create a new momentum between us and the Palestinians.”
As the neighborhood bully, Olmert will be able to impose his conditions upon the Palestinian people but peace cannot be imposed by one party of the agreement. It cannot be forced from the outside despite President Bush’s fervent intentions.
How can a new Middle East arise solely from the actions of two Western countries, one which lives in the neighborhood? It can’t. That Bush and Olmert haven’t figured this out is most concerning. What else are they not taking into account?
Bush Claims Progress on Lebanon, World Sees Regress
President Bush claimed progress on the political front regarding Lebanon. This is odd in light of the U.S. chief’s intransigence three weeks into the raging conflict. America alone tied the hands of the United Nations in responding to the invasion in an immediate and forceful way. The last time an independent country in the Middle East was overrun by its neighbor Bush Sr. drove the Iraqi army from Kuwait.
The “progress” has the future French peacekeepers arguing with Israel and the U.S. over the order of things. Will it be a cessation of violence, some political maneuvering, and then the stationing of peacekeepers? Or will the order be different?
As the parties argue, the only regress seen by the world is the destruction of Lebanon to disable 3,000 to 5,000 Hezbollah soldiers. A country of 4.4 million people has been attacked and invaded so Israel can wipe out 0.1% of its population.
Meanwhile the Bush team looks like anything but a team on this issue. While Bush, Rice and Bolton ignore worldwide demands for an immediate cease fire, they block movement in this direction at every turn.
Poor Karen Hughes has been given the impossible task of explaining the Bush record to Arab countries to improve relations. She flounders as Muslim countries are particularly outraged over the Israeli revenge inspired war machine’s pummeling of Lebanon. This is the sixth time in sixty years Israel has taken on a neighbor militarily.
Karen denied any coordination between the Bush and Olmert administrations on this action. However, it is hard to believe otherwise given Bush’s blocking and tackling for Israel on every play. The State Department website speaks to this close relationship:
Israel’s military spending in 2005 totaled $9.45 billion, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP, and represents 16.3% of government expenditures. The United States provides approximately $2.4 billion per year in security assistance.
In 1983, the United States and Israel established the Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development.
The Israeli Prime Minister has called Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists groups. The United States also collaborates with Israel via “the Joint Counterterrorism Group, designed to enhance cooperation in fighting terrorism; and a high-level Strategic Dialogue that meets biannually.”
Karen Hughes expects the Muslim world to believe Israel never discussed its plans to invade Lebanon to route out terrorists in any one of these collaboratives? Israeli Prime Minister Olmert just visited the White House in late May, weeks before the incursion. President Bush clearly stated his support for Olmert’s heavy handed and one sided strategies to solve the Palestinian situation. He also said “We are determined that the Iranian regime must not gain nuclear weapons”.
Here is the oddest statement by Bush in regard to a country beset by lingering terrorist attacks. On May 23rd the President said:
“Israel is a close friend and ally of the United States, and in the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid. The United States is strongly committed, and I'm strongly committed, to the security of Israel as a vibrant, Jewish state.”
Why did the President need to reiterate this point? Did he know the invasion would be forthcoming and other Arab nations might feel the call to support the Lebanese people? Did Bush’s closing statement contradict his earlier opening salvo?
“We reaffirmed the deep and abiding ties between Israel and the United States. And those ties include our commitment to democracy and our strong belief that everybody has the right to worship freely.”
How are the U.S. and Israel committed to “democracy” when one invades the fledgling democracy to their north and the other blocks any international moves to condemn the aggression? How is their freedom of worship in a Jewish state, a state that gives full privileges only to Jewish members?
On July 12th President Bush weighed in on the Hezbollah kidnappings. That day Israel began its escalation of war with Lebanon. July 13th saw the bombing of the Beirut airport and Israel’s embargo of Lebanon.
My guess is the topic was discussed beforehand. The White House Press Office had this to say early into the conflict:
We have had a lot of conversations with the Israeli government. Secretary Rice has talked to Prime Minister Olmert, sometimes a couple of times a day. She's talked to her Foreign Minister counterpart. I have talked the to Prime Minister's Chief of Staff almost every day. So we have a lot of communication.
Secondly, I would say that the Israelis are not feeling neglected by us. They have, in a number of these conversations, expressed both appreciation for some of the things that we have said and done, including what happened at the Security Council yesterday. And they've also given us some of the assurances that we have sought with connection with their activities.
Bush just keeps some people in the dark so they can present his best face. Poor Karen did not need to know that vital information. Now which face is Bush trying to show the world at the moment? I don’t think it’s his face at all. You can pull your pants up now, Mr. President.
The “progress” has the future French peacekeepers arguing with Israel and the U.S. over the order of things. Will it be a cessation of violence, some political maneuvering, and then the stationing of peacekeepers? Or will the order be different?
As the parties argue, the only regress seen by the world is the destruction of Lebanon to disable 3,000 to 5,000 Hezbollah soldiers. A country of 4.4 million people has been attacked and invaded so Israel can wipe out 0.1% of its population.
Meanwhile the Bush team looks like anything but a team on this issue. While Bush, Rice and Bolton ignore worldwide demands for an immediate cease fire, they block movement in this direction at every turn.
Poor Karen Hughes has been given the impossible task of explaining the Bush record to Arab countries to improve relations. She flounders as Muslim countries are particularly outraged over the Israeli revenge inspired war machine’s pummeling of Lebanon. This is the sixth time in sixty years Israel has taken on a neighbor militarily.
Karen denied any coordination between the Bush and Olmert administrations on this action. However, it is hard to believe otherwise given Bush’s blocking and tackling for Israel on every play. The State Department website speaks to this close relationship:
Israel’s military spending in 2005 totaled $9.45 billion, which is equivalent to 7.7% of GDP, and represents 16.3% of government expenditures. The United States provides approximately $2.4 billion per year in security assistance.
In 1983, the United States and Israel established the Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development.
The Israeli Prime Minister has called Hezbollah and Hamas terrorists groups. The United States also collaborates with Israel via “the Joint Counterterrorism Group, designed to enhance cooperation in fighting terrorism; and a high-level Strategic Dialogue that meets biannually.”
Karen Hughes expects the Muslim world to believe Israel never discussed its plans to invade Lebanon to route out terrorists in any one of these collaboratives? Israeli Prime Minister Olmert just visited the White House in late May, weeks before the incursion. President Bush clearly stated his support for Olmert’s heavy handed and one sided strategies to solve the Palestinian situation. He also said “We are determined that the Iranian regime must not gain nuclear weapons”.
Here is the oddest statement by Bush in regard to a country beset by lingering terrorist attacks. On May 23rd the President said:
“Israel is a close friend and ally of the United States, and in the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid. The United States is strongly committed, and I'm strongly committed, to the security of Israel as a vibrant, Jewish state.”
Why did the President need to reiterate this point? Did he know the invasion would be forthcoming and other Arab nations might feel the call to support the Lebanese people? Did Bush’s closing statement contradict his earlier opening salvo?
“We reaffirmed the deep and abiding ties between Israel and the United States. And those ties include our commitment to democracy and our strong belief that everybody has the right to worship freely.”
How are the U.S. and Israel committed to “democracy” when one invades the fledgling democracy to their north and the other blocks any international moves to condemn the aggression? How is their freedom of worship in a Jewish state, a state that gives full privileges only to Jewish members?
On July 12th President Bush weighed in on the Hezbollah kidnappings. That day Israel began its escalation of war with Lebanon. July 13th saw the bombing of the Beirut airport and Israel’s embargo of Lebanon.
My guess is the topic was discussed beforehand. The White House Press Office had this to say early into the conflict:
We have had a lot of conversations with the Israeli government. Secretary Rice has talked to Prime Minister Olmert, sometimes a couple of times a day. She's talked to her Foreign Minister counterpart. I have talked the to Prime Minister's Chief of Staff almost every day. So we have a lot of communication.
Secondly, I would say that the Israelis are not feeling neglected by us. They have, in a number of these conversations, expressed both appreciation for some of the things that we have said and done, including what happened at the Security Council yesterday. And they've also given us some of the assurances that we have sought with connection with their activities.
Bush just keeps some people in the dark so they can present his best face. Poor Karen did not need to know that vital information. Now which face is Bush trying to show the world at the moment? I don’t think it’s his face at all. You can pull your pants up now, Mr. President.
What Did Tony Blair Really Say? Prepare for Your Western Enema!
Tony Blair spoke in an attempt to draw clear lines around the battle for the hearts and minds of the people of the Middle East. After reading his remarks I am confused. At one point he talks about finding the solution through "a set of values strong enough to unite people with each other.”
Those elevating values could be a combination of “Western” and “Islamic”. Tony seems to be pushing only the Western side of the equation. Blair spoke of the struggle was between moderate, benign values versus the hatred and intolerance of fundamentalism.
"It's about modernization within Islam and out of it. It's about whether our value system can be shown to be sufficiently robust, true, principled and appealing that it beats theirs."
I can’t imagine this going over well with moderate Muslims. P.M. Blair also speaks out against Islamic fundamentalism without mentioning the Christian or Jewish variety which are equally as insidious.
The strategy behind Islamist extremism, Blair said, is based "on a presumed sense of grievance that can motivate people to divide against each other. Our answer has to be a set of values strong enough to unite people with each other.”
Tony apparently needs to be educated on the Christian version of fundamentalism. Episcopal fundamentalists are tearing his Anglican Church apart. Many conservatives purposefully voted for the new female head of the U.S. arm of the Episcopal Church to drive the split faster.
Conservatives are purposefully joining open and accepting denominations with the intention of gaining enough power to change church doctrine. In Kansas, the School Board changed the definition of science to incorporate their religious beliefs. They don’t just want to teach creationism, they want the teaching of evolution abolished. A brand new $25 million dollar Biblical Expo will open soon to market creationism under the guise of being “a museum”. These acts of “our way or no way” are happening in free America.
In a most odd twist, Prime Minister Blair suggested a Western approach (imposed by the new kid on the block and a country continent’s away) is better than their age old societies existing in the region for thousands of years. Please note that none of the Western or Middle Eastern societies are problem free.
Is Tony holding out Israel as a bastion of higher Western values? He might want to read the U.S. State Department’s Human Rights evaluation of Israel. It cites the government as discriminating against almost 20% of the population in both housing and jobs. That group would be people of Arab descent living in Israel. Despite low incomes and high unemployment among Arabs, Israel hires foreign workers for manual labor jobs. Ten percent of Israel’s workforce comes from outside the country. The report also cites human rights abuses of prisoners in Israeli custody.
I believe most people in the Middle East are already aware of the higher values of which Mr. Blair speaks. They want to talk about where the West fails, where the rubber doesn’t meet the road, where there is a gap between words and actions.
What’s missing is the opportunity to communicate and collaborate on moving forward on behalf of all people. What’s missing is leadership on all sides willing to make that happen. Too many have chosen war, too many stand silent as God’s children are struck down in the name of “reshaping the Middle East”.
According to CNN Hezbollah has 3,000 to 5,000 armed fighters. To disarm this number of Lebanese, Israel’s 250,000 person military is wreaking havoc on the fledgling democracy of Lebanon. Israel invaded its neighbor to the north to disarm 5,000 out of 4.4 million people? It is leveling the country to make those 5,000 pay?
Tony closed his remarks with another war challenge to Syria and Iran. So much for those elevating values under which we all can gather! So much for the West facing the mirror and coming to the table with an honest accounting.
So what did Tony really say? I think “it’s the other guys fault and we will impose our Western ways, so what’s the best method for selling them?” What do you think Tony? Did I hear you right?
And which set of Western values are you implementing? The Christian nationalist version will go down like a Guantanamo Bay feeding tube. At least that’s my prediction. The world has a big leadership problem. Tony’s words are clear evidence of that.
Those elevating values could be a combination of “Western” and “Islamic”. Tony seems to be pushing only the Western side of the equation. Blair spoke of the struggle was between moderate, benign values versus the hatred and intolerance of fundamentalism.
"It's about modernization within Islam and out of it. It's about whether our value system can be shown to be sufficiently robust, true, principled and appealing that it beats theirs."
I can’t imagine this going over well with moderate Muslims. P.M. Blair also speaks out against Islamic fundamentalism without mentioning the Christian or Jewish variety which are equally as insidious.
The strategy behind Islamist extremism, Blair said, is based "on a presumed sense of grievance that can motivate people to divide against each other. Our answer has to be a set of values strong enough to unite people with each other.”
Tony apparently needs to be educated on the Christian version of fundamentalism. Episcopal fundamentalists are tearing his Anglican Church apart. Many conservatives purposefully voted for the new female head of the U.S. arm of the Episcopal Church to drive the split faster.
Conservatives are purposefully joining open and accepting denominations with the intention of gaining enough power to change church doctrine. In Kansas, the School Board changed the definition of science to incorporate their religious beliefs. They don’t just want to teach creationism, they want the teaching of evolution abolished. A brand new $25 million dollar Biblical Expo will open soon to market creationism under the guise of being “a museum”. These acts of “our way or no way” are happening in free America.
In a most odd twist, Prime Minister Blair suggested a Western approach (imposed by the new kid on the block and a country continent’s away) is better than their age old societies existing in the region for thousands of years. Please note that none of the Western or Middle Eastern societies are problem free.
Is Tony holding out Israel as a bastion of higher Western values? He might want to read the U.S. State Department’s Human Rights evaluation of Israel. It cites the government as discriminating against almost 20% of the population in both housing and jobs. That group would be people of Arab descent living in Israel. Despite low incomes and high unemployment among Arabs, Israel hires foreign workers for manual labor jobs. Ten percent of Israel’s workforce comes from outside the country. The report also cites human rights abuses of prisoners in Israeli custody.
I believe most people in the Middle East are already aware of the higher values of which Mr. Blair speaks. They want to talk about where the West fails, where the rubber doesn’t meet the road, where there is a gap between words and actions.
What’s missing is the opportunity to communicate and collaborate on moving forward on behalf of all people. What’s missing is leadership on all sides willing to make that happen. Too many have chosen war, too many stand silent as God’s children are struck down in the name of “reshaping the Middle East”.
According to CNN Hezbollah has 3,000 to 5,000 armed fighters. To disarm this number of Lebanese, Israel’s 250,000 person military is wreaking havoc on the fledgling democracy of Lebanon. Israel invaded its neighbor to the north to disarm 5,000 out of 4.4 million people? It is leveling the country to make those 5,000 pay?
Tony closed his remarks with another war challenge to Syria and Iran. So much for those elevating values under which we all can gather! So much for the West facing the mirror and coming to the table with an honest accounting.
So what did Tony really say? I think “it’s the other guys fault and we will impose our Western ways, so what’s the best method for selling them?” What do you think Tony? Did I hear you right?
And which set of Western values are you implementing? The Christian nationalist version will go down like a Guantanamo Bay feeding tube. At least that’s my prediction. The world has a big leadership problem. Tony’s words are clear evidence of that.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Beirut’s Embryos May Have Only Seven Days Left
Due to the difficulty of finding fuel for its generators, the American University Hospital in Beirut could soon be without power. In addition to the horrific impact on patients, a lack of power will result in the death of frozen embryos in the hospitals fertility program.
The American public is aware of two facts that should cause great concern. One, dead hospitals are death traps. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina made this all too clear. And two, President Bush committed to not using one red federal cent to cause the death of an embryo.
U.S. funded weapons and the means for Israel to deliver them likely will cause the President’s words to ring hollow once again. To think that almost two weeks ago, Bush approved a rush shipment of precision guided missiles to Israel. Now when did he make his speech on frozen embryos?
The American public is aware of two facts that should cause great concern. One, dead hospitals are death traps. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina made this all too clear. And two, President Bush committed to not using one red federal cent to cause the death of an embryo.
U.S. funded weapons and the means for Israel to deliver them likely will cause the President’s words to ring hollow once again. To think that almost two weeks ago, Bush approved a rush shipment of precision guided missiles to Israel. Now when did he make his speech on frozen embryos?
Super Rich Avoid Taxes via Illegal Schemes, Bush Pioneer Helps
When I noted the news piece on multi-millionaires avoiding taxes totaling $40 to 70 billion dollars, my first impulse was to find the Bush connection. Which of his friends and major donors stood behind such nefarious practices? It did not take long for Sam and Charles Wyly to come to the forefront. Susan Lisovich from CNN mentioned their names as investment advisors refusing to testify before a Senate committee. In the same breath Susan said the brothers were the 9th largest campaign contributors to President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
The Wyly case history took up nearly three fourths of the 400 page report. Once again Bush insiders help the super wealthy to avoid paying taxes. Whether it be legal or illegal, the Bush cabal works hard to ensure Uncle Sam doesn’t get his due.
The Senate is considering a bill to permanently cut the Estate Tax for the same group the Wyly’s have been helping cheat the government, the super rich. Anytime anyone else wants to scream "enough is enough", chime in because I am yelling.
But, there is more. The Wyly’s are on the board of Michael’s Stores currently being investigated by the SEC for its granting of stock options. The company is also being evaluated for acquisition by none other than the Carlyle Group with its famous Bush insider connections. I bet they are still grateful for President Bush leaving out their then recently purchased LifeCare Hospitals from his Lessons Learned report on Hurricane Katrina. That 24 patients died in their facility shouldn’t matter to the White House.
Should the Carlyle syndicate lose, another investment house with a political connection could buy Michael’s Stores. The Apollo Group and Tom Daschle, a board member, could end up on top. Who says politics and business don’t mix!
P.S. The winning bidder for Michael’s Stores is a consortium comprised of Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group. That leaves Carlyle open for more of its desired health care acquisitions.
The Wyly case history took up nearly three fourths of the 400 page report. Once again Bush insiders help the super wealthy to avoid paying taxes. Whether it be legal or illegal, the Bush cabal works hard to ensure Uncle Sam doesn’t get his due.
The Senate is considering a bill to permanently cut the Estate Tax for the same group the Wyly’s have been helping cheat the government, the super rich. Anytime anyone else wants to scream "enough is enough", chime in because I am yelling.
But, there is more. The Wyly’s are on the board of Michael’s Stores currently being investigated by the SEC for its granting of stock options. The company is also being evaluated for acquisition by none other than the Carlyle Group with its famous Bush insider connections. I bet they are still grateful for President Bush leaving out their then recently purchased LifeCare Hospitals from his Lessons Learned report on Hurricane Katrina. That 24 patients died in their facility shouldn’t matter to the White House.
Should the Carlyle syndicate lose, another investment house with a political connection could buy Michael’s Stores. The Apollo Group and Tom Daschle, a board member, could end up on top. Who says politics and business don’t mix!
P.S. The winning bidder for Michael’s Stores is a consortium comprised of Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group. That leaves Carlyle open for more of its desired health care acquisitions.
Escalating Rhetoric & Actions in Middle East
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gave his country’s answer to the United Nations resolution three weeks early. His resounding “no” echoed in his statement “'The Iranian nation considers the peaceful use of nuclear fuel production technology its right."
What does that do to U.S. and Israeli plans in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran as the Middle East cauldron heats to the boiling point? How will the newest country and its foreign interloper remake the Middle East uniting against their aggression in Lebanon?
The disturbing revelations indicate leadership pathology to be widespread. Threats are met with military buildups, long range invasion planning, and one upsmanship demands and responses. Bush, Olmert, and Ahmadinejad couldn’t peacefully make their way out of a wet paper bag. Yet they plan and plot, ensuring their people and the enemy will suffer greatly.
The great Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders all claim to be God inspired. I want to be a fly on the wall when all three meet their maker. My bet is God shows them the way to peace is not via war, intentional harm, death and destruction. As each feels the pain they imposed on thousands of innocents, the lesson becomes clear.
“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”-Ghandi
What does that do to U.S. and Israeli plans in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran as the Middle East cauldron heats to the boiling point? How will the newest country and its foreign interloper remake the Middle East uniting against their aggression in Lebanon?
The disturbing revelations indicate leadership pathology to be widespread. Threats are met with military buildups, long range invasion planning, and one upsmanship demands and responses. Bush, Olmert, and Ahmadinejad couldn’t peacefully make their way out of a wet paper bag. Yet they plan and plot, ensuring their people and the enemy will suffer greatly.
The great Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders all claim to be God inspired. I want to be a fly on the wall when all three meet their maker. My bet is God shows them the way to peace is not via war, intentional harm, death and destruction. As each feels the pain they imposed on thousands of innocents, the lesson becomes clear.
“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”-Ghandi
Bush to Call Queen Noor for Education on “Root Cause” of Middle East Troubles?
President Bush continues to set a low standard for analysis in his two terms as President. He’s proven his inability to conduct a credible investigation of anything. The CIA agent leak and the White House response to Hurricane Katrina leave much to be desired.
Now the President bandies about discussing “root cause” of the Lebanese conflict. He cites the nabbing of two Israeli soldiers as the root cause of Israel’s overwhelming aggression. Queen Noor from Jordan spoke on the Larry King show last night. Her analysis went much deeper than the middle school evaluation conducted by Bush.
The Queen followed Dr. Deming’s teachings and asked why seven times to get at root cause? She attributes the current conflict to Israel’s aggression and taking of Arab lands post 1967 war.
She also suggested that outsiders like the United States and Israel are incapable of creating a new Middle East through violence alone. The resistance will exist until the fundamental underlying issues of land ownership are resolved. They will exist as long as state supported oppression of a minority population is in place.
Will President Bush please give Queen Noor a call to discuss the matter? Then he won’t look like a bad role model for America’s education system when Bush talks about root cause. It doesn’t do for a President or his Ph.d. Secretary of State to look like the poor professional athlete role models his political party rues as contributing to the decline of America.
Now the President bandies about discussing “root cause” of the Lebanese conflict. He cites the nabbing of two Israeli soldiers as the root cause of Israel’s overwhelming aggression. Queen Noor from Jordan spoke on the Larry King show last night. Her analysis went much deeper than the middle school evaluation conducted by Bush.
The Queen followed Dr. Deming’s teachings and asked why seven times to get at root cause? She attributes the current conflict to Israel’s aggression and taking of Arab lands post 1967 war.
She also suggested that outsiders like the United States and Israel are incapable of creating a new Middle East through violence alone. The resistance will exist until the fundamental underlying issues of land ownership are resolved. They will exist as long as state supported oppression of a minority population is in place.
Will President Bush please give Queen Noor a call to discuss the matter? Then he won’t look like a bad role model for America’s education system when Bush talks about root cause. It doesn’t do for a President or his Ph.d. Secretary of State to look like the poor professional athlete role models his political party rues as contributing to the decline of America.
Disconcerting Stories, Bush’s Mental Health & Nixon’s Nukes
President Bush will have a 4 hour medical assessment today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I am sure he is in great physical health for a 60 year old. My concern is his mental health. As leader of the “free world” President Bush controls the use of a huge arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. Where is his mind and spirit these days?
Is he angry, paranoid, possibly delusional? His 4 letter word comment on Syria at the G-8 supports the anger concern. He could feel paranoid as the rest of the world is against Bush’s intransigent opposition to an immediate cease fire. His delusion of one outside power with its small local ally remaking the Middle East goes against the maxim that lasting change must come from the inside. Where are the Middle Eastern countries in the Bush/Olmert vision? At the moment they are angry and opposed.
The release of previously classified documents reveals another disturbed U.S. President’s consideration of nuclear weapons. President Nixon, the paranoid, pondered the use of nukes in Vietnam. How did Nixon perform on the military’s mental health evaluation? How does Bush’s results compare to Tricky Dick’s?
My concern is the timing of the release. War is ongoing in Lebanon. The rhetoric of war incorporates Syria and Iran. The latter will likely give the middle finger salute to the United Nations on the pursuit of nuclear weapons technology. Iran’s response to the UN happens to coincide with Israel’s time frame for mopping up Hezbollah.
When Iran says bugger off to the U.N. will the United States or its proxy, Israel uncork a nuke on Iranian nuclear facilities? Looking at the facts on the ground which includes pathological leaders all around, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.
Is he angry, paranoid, possibly delusional? His 4 letter word comment on Syria at the G-8 supports the anger concern. He could feel paranoid as the rest of the world is against Bush’s intransigent opposition to an immediate cease fire. His delusion of one outside power with its small local ally remaking the Middle East goes against the maxim that lasting change must come from the inside. Where are the Middle Eastern countries in the Bush/Olmert vision? At the moment they are angry and opposed.
The release of previously classified documents reveals another disturbed U.S. President’s consideration of nuclear weapons. President Nixon, the paranoid, pondered the use of nukes in Vietnam. How did Nixon perform on the military’s mental health evaluation? How does Bush’s results compare to Tricky Dick’s?
My concern is the timing of the release. War is ongoing in Lebanon. The rhetoric of war incorporates Syria and Iran. The latter will likely give the middle finger salute to the United Nations on the pursuit of nuclear weapons technology. Iran’s response to the UN happens to coincide with Israel’s time frame for mopping up Hezbollah.
When Iran says bugger off to the U.N. will the United States or its proxy, Israel uncork a nuke on Iranian nuclear facilities? Looking at the facts on the ground which includes pathological leaders all around, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.
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