Saturday, January 28, 2006

The "D'oh!" Heard 'Round The World

"Whoops."

I expect that the above comment is being heard all around Washington, D.C., and most loudly around the White House.

You see, "President" Bush, who has been so hot to spread Democracy (with a capital "D") throughout the world - with special attention to the Gawdless Savages in the Middle East, got a taste of what Democracy really means this past week, when over 75% of the people of Palestine came out for a historic vote, and surprised everyone by electing the radical Islamist militant group Hamas to their government.

One of the things that Hamas has called for is the destruction of Israel and the death of all Jews.

Not surprisingly, Israel's have made it very clear that they have no intention of having any dealings with Hamas.

The problem for the U.S. now is how to deal with Hamas. After all, they are the newly-elected government, chosen by the people. BushCo has to figure out exactly how to handle this surprizing change of events because if they handle it badly, they could be opening themselves up to criticism in a time when they really cannot afford more, what with the Abramoff scandal, the secret NSA wiretapping program, the ongoing Plame investigation, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's trial, the Tom DeLay money laundering scandal, Bob Ney's scandal, ongoing calls for investigations into the handling of post-Katrina New Orleans, Dick Cheney's flithy mouth, and a host of others - all of this in a congressional election year!

Bush has few options open to him. Refusing to acknowledge the new Palestinian government would definitely prove to be a huge mistake as well. After spending the past five years claiming that he was a "uniter, not a divider," and pushing so hard for Democracy in the Middle East, suddenly standing up and saying, "What I meant was, my version of Democracy!" would appear pretty hypocritical in the eyes of the rest of the world. He's already made moves in this direction by suggesting to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah Party that they should not concede.

A military invasion, especially with public opinions about his handling of Iraq getting lower every day, could prove disasterous. Not to mention the fact - proven by two reports, including one from the Pentagon, who should know about this sort of thing - that the American military is already overstretched. Of course, that sort of thing doesn't bother Dubya, a man who turned his back on the U.N. and took troops out of Afghanistan who were looking for Osama bin Laden and sent them into war with a country that never did anything to us, especially when he's got Donald Rumsfeld telling him that everything is just fine.

So what can be done? There is always the possibility - thin though it may be, but not impossible - that Hamas could be convinced to decide to close up shop on its terrorist wing and try going legit. But we won't know unless we try to talk to them.

Hey! there's a wacky idea! Why not open up a dialog with these guys and try to work something out? Everyone's so up in arms about Hamas being voted in that they haven't considered the possibility that this could be a historic opportunity. Supposing someone - I dunno, maybe a diplomat of some sort - made contact with the leaders of Hamas and managed to convince them that, since they're obviously the popular choice to the people in Palestine, they might try a new approach to getting their message out without having to blow anyone up.

And what if, to push this idea further, that diplomat also convinced them to make attempts to talk to Israel? Of course, Israel would be well within its rights to refuse talks, but Palestine would be viewed as the side that initiated the peace process in the eyes of the world community, especially if they had the U.S.'s backing. Other governments in the region would start putting pressure on Israel to accept the invitation to talk. The inevitable would happen, and peace talks would resume.

Admittedly, the possibility of the above scenario would be pretty slim, but the possibility is there. However, until everyone stops shouting about how awful it is that Hamas is now in charge, nothing else can happen.

Yes, Democracy is alive and well and working in Palestine, although not exactly the way Dubya may have wanted it to. The people have spoken, albeit in "one o' them funny furrin languages" that Dubya doesn't speak (like "Mexican"), and he has to figure out how to deal with it in a way that will not piss-off the rest of the world. Good luck to him on that one. I'm sure that Rove or Cheney or Bolton over at the U.N. would be happy to open up talks on his behalf...

Gawd help us all.

All the best,
Derek
(DCF)

(Edited due to an error on my part - Abbas and his Fatah Party were in control of Palestine, not Israel. Thanks to Vern and Bobbie for catching me on that one. See what happens when I try to rush?)

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Lumps, The Law, and The Lies

Time for some updates…

Well, I got a reply back from Curves International.  Unfortunately, they didn’t appear to share my enthusiasm for Lumps For Men.

Here is the e-mail I sent them:

Hi there!

Some time ago, a Curves for Women opened up near my office, and a few of our employees took up memberships.  I have heard nothing from them but good things about your organization.  This got me to thinking...

What about a similar system for men?  Of course, it would require a different name - curves are associated with women, so something more guy-appropriate would be necessary, in my opinion.  How about "Lumps For Men"?  As a guy, I have no qualms about pointing out that we, unlike women, appear to have been made up from leftover parts, and are pretty lumpy as a result.

Anyway, the idea of "Lumps For Men" would follow the same principal of "Curves For Women", but with exercises geared more toward helping men get into shape, but maintaining a similarity to everyday activities that might be a bit more guy-oriented.  Here is an example of the process that I've come up with:

Step 1: Upon entering Lumps For Men, the customer will be taken to a specially-designed, heavily-padded La-Z-Boy recliner with two handles and spend three minutes reclining and straightening up on each side.  This will build forearm strength, as well as stretch the leg muscles when the footrest lifts.

Step 2: Weight machines are next, set up for 16-, 20-, 24-, and 39-ounce curls.  (The 39-ounce curls are actually 40-ounce curls, but with one ounce poured out for your dead homies.  Word.)  Three minutes on each of these weight settings will slowly build up the upper arm muscles.

Step 3: Here, you will have six minutes to remove a blown engine from an old, rusty Camaro.  First, use your legs to push the crawler around under the car so you can remove the engine mount bolts, and then put those arms into it as you use a chain lift to pull the engine.  Better hurry!  The owner (one of our professional trainers who will dress up as a crotchety old man and complain that you're going to scratch the paint) is getting irritated.

Step 4: Let's work on those flabby, hairy legs of yours!  Our patented Lumps For Men stair stepper features video screens on four sides that allow you to actually live the experience of having to walk up eight flights of stairs in three minutes because of a broken elevator at your office!  Better hurry!  You're going to be late for work!

Step 5: The final step will help build up those pectoral and abdominal muscles.  One of our professional trainers will pretend to be a guy you know from college who needs help moving his couch.  (For realism, we'll even put him in a filthy Led Zeppelin shirt and ripped jeans, and drench him in patchouli oil!)  Repeatedly lifting and lowering the couch as our trainer says, “No, let's put it over here," will really get those abs tightened!  Remember to lift with the legs, not the back.
---------------

So...what do you think?  Admittedly, it could probably do with a bit more work, but it's a start!  I'd appreciate any input into this idea that you could offer.

Thank you for your time.

Derek Springer
Port Huron, MI.

As you can see, it’s basically a copy-and-paste of my original post, with a few minor additions.  And here is their reply:

Dear Derek:

Thank you for contacting Curves International.  Curves is totally devoted to meeting the fitness and weight loss needs of women across the country.  As a result, over 4 million women are now exercising and have moved toward a better state of health and fitness.  At this time Curves does not plan to open facilities for men.

Thank you for your comments. 

Sincerely,
Curves International, Inc.

JoAnn Stone
Customer Relations Representative
Curves International
100 Ritchie Rd.
Waco, TX 76712
Fax: 254-776-0019

So, apparently, they blew-off my great idea.  Some people just have no vision…

*****

Okay, folks.  I told you it was coming, back in my 2005: Looking Forward to Looking Back post, and now it appears that I’m right.  Here’s what I said:

In 2006, there will be midterm elections in congress, and I suspect that things are going to change drastically.  I also suggest that Dubya start sucking up big time, because if the Democrats regain control of the House and the Senate, I can almost guarantee that there will be even more impeachment talk, and possible actions, as well.

For their January 23rd-29th edition, The Washington Times’ Insight magazine published an article concerning the possibility of impeachment hearings against George W. Bush, saying that hearings with the Senate Judiciary Committee – “a prelude to impeachment,” the Times called it – could begin in February, with a  panel including several Republicans who have been vocal witht heir criticism of the administrations surveillance program.

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) was quoted as saying, "Impeachment is a remedy.  After impeachment, you could have a criminal prosecution.  But the principal remedy under our society is to pay a political price.”

To me, Senator Specter’s statement seems to indicate that, although he believes Bush broke the 1978 law that established the FISA court and set up a procedure for procuring warrants for wiretapping, he would rather see Bush forced to step down if impeached, rather than have him face criminal charges for breaking the law.  What I find amusing about this is the fact that, when President Clinton was impeached for lying to a special prosecutor over whether or not he received oral sex in the Oval Office, he had to face charges before the Senate – all but one of which were dropped.  (He was later acquitted.)  Apparently, the Republicans feel that a Democratic president cheating on his wife, thereby harming only his family and his marriage, is a more prosecutable offense than a Republican president who broke a law and violated the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, thereby harming the freedom of all Americans.  (This is something I find incredibly funny, considering the exploits of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former senator Bob Packwood, among others.)

The fact that Dubya continued to make speeches around the country, pushing the idea that he is above the law due to his supposed “war privileges”, even in the face of possible impeachment, shows just how out-of-touch he and his administration are.

*****

Speaking of how out-of-touch the Boy In The Bubble has been, it turns out that his statement about how “I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees” after Hurricane Katrina hit is complete and utter bull.

According to a New York Times article posted today, the White House knew that the possibility was there at least a day before the Category 4 storm hit the coast:

A Homeland Security Department report submitted to the White House at 1:47 a.m. on Aug. 29, hours before the storm hit, said, "Any storm rated Category 4 or greater will likely lead to severe flooding and/or levee breaching."

The internal department documents, which were forwarded to the White House, contradict statements by President Bush and the homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff, that no one expected the storm protection system in New Orleans to be breached.

This, combined with the report from July of 2004 stating that there would be massive flooding and deaths (although the report’s estimate of over 62,000 was much higher than the reality), made it very clear that the administration – and Dubya by default –should have known, at the very least.  The fact that they insisted over and over that none of the things that happened could have been predicted is clear proof that Bush and Company are completely oblivious to their surroundings.  Either that, or they’re just pathological liars.  I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but it’s getting harder and harder these days.

All the best,
Derek
(DCF)

And They Just Keep On Coming...

Here’s the Big List Of Lies, for those of you keeping track (thanks to Kid Friendly over at www.newshounds.us.):

~Tillman cover-up
~Schiavo
~How many people affected in Hurricane Katrina
~Lack of the use of swift boats in the Katrina Rescue effort
~No air drops to Superdome
~Orders to shoot people over a loaf of bread that was taken from a store
~Explosion heard 2 days after the storm passed and THEN the levees gave way
~GOP holding votes open
~Last throes comment
~Stuff happens comment
~Mission accomplished (100 dead at the time)
~Medicare reform Bill
~Class-Action Reform Bill
~Medicare not allowed to broker prices for prescription drugs
~Drownie
~Condi shoe shopping
~We don't torture, we send detainees to other countries to not be tortured
~Democrats are muzzled on all legislation
~Lobbying is well out of control
~Abramoff
~DeLay
~Diebold
~Ohio elections
~Katherine Harris
~Journalists targeted in Iraq
~Oil not paying for the war
~Not being treated as liberators
~Patrick McHenry claiming we hate America (Schiavo case)
~Ethics committee gutted
~FDA will approve anything (except emergency birth control)
~Attack on Social Security
~President flipping off the camera
~No child left behind is not paid for
~Refusing aid after Katrina
~Red Cross not allowed to assist after Katrina
~Fema is way too bloated and does nothing that the DHS can't do
~Cutting aid to NYPD and FDNY that are affected form the cleanup effort when they were told that the air was safe to breathe
~Tax cuts to those that don't trickle it down
~3 Trillion Dollars more in debt
~No help in NOLA until Bush arrived (then it stopped again when he left)
~Abu Ghraib
~Gitmo
~Italian reporter shot up
~Bolton recess appointment
~No legislation passed that big money hasn't backed
~Documented reports of Bush's Grandfather (Prescott Bush) bankrolling Adolf Hitler
~Buying the Iraqi press
~Wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera
~No water or electricity in Iraq
~Cindy Sheehan shunted
~Harriet Miers
~Jessica Lynch
~Soldiers serving well after their agreed enlistment time
~President won't hold press conferences
~President only speaks to cherry-picked audiences
~Plame Outing
~Scooter Libby
~Spy in Cheney's office
~Jean Schmidt
~Wage stagnation
~Halliburton in New Orleans and Iraq
~Outsourcing of jobs
~Money printed in Iraq
~NO WMD
~Yellow Cake
~Rove
~No victory gauge
~No armor for soldiers either Iraqi or American
~Outsourcing the building of Marine 1 Helicopters
~Fighter jets sold to Pakistan by W...on a Saturday
~No accuracy in unemployment rate reporting
~SEC has become a joke
~Hedge funds aren't regulated
~No war strategy
~Downing Street Memos
~Borrowing from the communists
~$330,000 a month to Chalabi
~Bush housing Saudis
~Where's UBL
~Flew UBL's family out of the country after he bombed us
~No border security
~Gas prices
~Home heating prices higher than ever in history
~IRS auditing churches
~Price of war way underestimated
~Bayoil
~Closed session of Senate accomplished nothing the GOP said it would
~Pre-war intel was/is fixed
~Alabama voted for Jeff Sessions (how can that be?)
~Environmental laws absolutely gutted
~Middle class forgotten all-together
~Redistricting to rig elections
~Patriot Act
~Civil rights eroded/gutted
~Treatment of Michael Schiavo
~GOP votes against EVERY inquiry of wrong-doing
~9/11 commission ignored completely
~Programs for the neediest gutted
~Education budged harshly slashed
~Terror alerts subsided after Keith Olbermann finally exposes the coincidences
~Every document is classified
~Most secretive president ever
~Curveball
~Interstates inadequate for mass evacuations
~What was the Noble cause
~Everyone in NOLA have life insurance(?)
~Blaming Tenet for the "slam dunk" comment and then awarding Medal of Freedom
~Elderly deaths went way up during the Social Security Savagery
~Dems can't add amendments to legislation
~Over 60% of elections won by less than 4%
~Sensenbrenner walked off with the gavel during Patriot Act hearing
~Tax cuts to ship jobs away
~Soldiers getting Purple Heart collections
~Fox News isn't biased
~Veterans benefits cut
~No exception for soldiers in the Bankruptcy Reform Bill
~Internet threatened with regulation
~Every shopping bag at Wal-Mart is made in Singapore
~Bianca
~Still ignoring NOLA
~Creating immigration laws that take affect in 5 years
~Pat Robertson and James Dobson tell their congregation how they should vote
~Jerry Falwell too
~Corruption is the norm
~No timetable for when the debt will be paid
~DOW was at 11,770 when Bush took office 5 years ago
~Dollar is losing value
~Haven't defined what is/isn't torture for all to hear
~Trade agreements are not even close to fair
~Ports left unprotected
~Definition of a terrorist is ever so vague
~GOP claims to have different degrees of Neo-Cons (but they all vote exactly the same)
~Swift-Boating John Kerry
~What is the Skull and Bones Society?
~Drownie was kept on the payroll
~Drownie was never fired
~Newt touring with Hillary
~How many soldiers in an Iraqi Batallion?
~Max Cleland was treated like a piece of shit
~Why were helicopters used to find the people, trying to escape the rising waters, pounding on their roofs from inside their attics?
~5 deferments
~Nuclear option
~Ethics committee couldn't get Cunningham 2 years after it was known that his house was sold to a defense contractor for $700,000 over it's value as he lived on that contractor's yacht
~20% tax on land phone lines
~12% on cell towers
~Diesel fuel is 50 cents higher than gasoline
~Home by Christmas
~Establishing a democracy and not a Republic?
~Jeb doesn't have FEMA woes
~War profiteering
~Health care
~Armstrong Williams
~Sure quote Lieberman a lot
~Caspian Sea pipeline
~If it's a Reform Bill or Deregulation Bill the result is never better quality or more affordability
~Cheney said he was glued to the TV all week like everyone else
~Christian values never reflected in legislation
~Jeff Gannon
~Nobody accountable for anything
~Smoking in the rotunda
~Loaded SCOTUS
~MZM
~Chuck Hagel was CEO of ES&S
~Offshore accounts of members
~No mistakes come to mind
~Niger
~Haley Barbour told us FEMA was there on Tuesday
~No scandals given credence
~Math is spun (math don't lie)
~Government is largest in over 200 years
~Looking under a desk for WMD's
~Non-combative protestors arrested
~Soviet Gulags
~Superdome
~Opium export in Afghanistan up 2000%
~Hannity is a Puss
~Ready for a Category 6?
~Global warming ignored
~Hans Blix
~Pakistan earthquake money
~Private prison stockholders
~George H W Bush runs Pharma
~Ambassador to the Vatican?
~Rush never busted on possession charges
~Bill Bennett
~Joe Wilson
~Indian Casino lobbying for how much?
~We aren't safer
~SCOTUS chose our President
~Carnival cruise line contract after Katrina
~Able Danger
~Ken Lay
~Harken Energy
~Rupert Murdoch
~Blatant over-charges in Iraq and NOLA
~Bird Flu vaccine for only 20 million

All the best,
Derek
(DCF)

Monday, January 23, 2006

The Mis-statement of the Union

It’s coming.  There is nothing you or I can do to stop it.

In a little over a week, the annual State of the Union address will be made, interrupting television and radio programs that are infinitely more interesting, and we, the American people, will never get that hour and a half back.

The “president” will stride purposefully down the aisle toward the podium as “Hail to the Chief” blares, smirking as he does so, and then will spend the next hour or longer giving a stump speech that would be more at home during a presidential campaign, rather than being given to a roomful of congresspersons.  Of course the whole thing is for show.  He’s not really addressing congress.  He’s talking to you and me – the little people.

And because he is talking to us, I have no doubts whatsoever that almost every word he utters will have been carefully designed to lull us into a semi-comatose state so he can sneak in his latest hare-brained scheme.  Remember the speech that contained The Sixteen Words?  What about the one where he first talked about his plan to start private social security accounts?  Well, this year’s idea sounds to be just as fruitless and stupid as the previous ones.

Sunday, during his weekly radio address, Dubya explained his plan to help lower medical costs: private accounts for insurance costs!  Now, I fully agree that medical expenses are ridiculously high.  It has come to a point where, if I had just been shot, I would have to consider just putting a bunch of adhesive bandages over the wound rather than going to a hospital for treatment because I just don’t make enough money to pay a medical bill that large.  However, in the few jobs I’ve been able to find that provide medical insurance, it was nice to know that I wouldn’t have to stock up on that many bandages.  If Dubya has his way, employers will no longer be responsible for offering insurance (although many no longer do anyway).  Instead, money will be taken from your paycheck to go into these private accounts – sorta like the social security accounts he was pushing for so long before finally giving up on them – that will pay for your insurance.  So, basically, it’s all being dropped on your head.

Why do I think this is a bad idea?  Let’s make a few assumptions in order for me to make my point.

First, supposing someone like myself is stuck in a dead-end job with a minimal wage (say, about $11.00 per hour), and has not received a raise in over three years.  As regular inflation continues, raising prices of everything from the food you eat to the gas you heat your home and run your car with, you find you are getting less and less for your money.  You can cut back some, but only so much without moving into a refrigerator box.  Unfortunately, this doesn’t help much.  Keeping a roof over your head, keeping food in your house, and occasionally getting some clothes to cover yourself with gets more expensive every year.  But your paycheck doesn’t get any bigger.

And now, going with this scenario – and it’s a legitimate one, as I have been experiencing this exact situation for the past three years, along with child support payments – supposing some politician comes to you and says, “Well now, your employer is not going to have to pay for your insurance anymore.  Instead, we’re going to take a percentage of your paycheck every week even before you see it to pay for it!”  This amounts to taking a pay cut while the prices of basic necessities continue to rise.  And since you haven’t had a raise in three years, what on earth would make you think you’re going to get one this year?

Gas prices will continue to rise, the cost of living will continue to increase, but your paycheck just got smaller, and it doesn’t look to be getting any bigger any time soon.  But that’s okay now, because when you get pneumonia while sleeping in your refrigerator box, you’ll be able to get that medical treatment.  At least until the hospital turns you out because they need the bed for someone who is even sicker than you are.

When is Dubya going to learn that giving tax cuts to his rich buddies and sponsoring corporate welfare is not going to work?  Trickle down didn’t work for Reagan in the 80’s, and it’s not going to work for Dubya now.

Of course, another item that is bound to be discussed is the “progress” in Iraq.  To this, I ask “What progress?”  Should I be excited that schools are being rebuilt and reopened?  Why?  We blew them up in the first place.  Should I be excited about the elections that took place there?  Of course I should, but it’s hard for me to get excited for them when we can’t even run a legitimate election in this country.  Oh, I’m sure there will be plenty of naysayers out there who will insist that Gore lost in 2000 – actually, he got the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes; it was the Supreme Court that chose Dubya – and Kerry lost in 2004 (Google Diebold+Ohio+Election+Fraud and see what you find – about 235,000 pages), but when you do a little bit of research, even the most staunch disbeliever has to be left wondering.  On top of this, there are also allegations of voter fraud in the Iraqi elections, so I guess they really are getting a taste of Western Democracy.

You want to talk about real democracy?  South Africa just elected its first female president.  Congratulations, America.  We have just been out-democracized by a Third World country.

For those of you old enough to drink, here’s a little game to play: Each time Dubya brings up 9/11, drink a shot.  If he uses it while talking about Iraq, do two shots.  If he says that Iraq and al-Qaeda were working together, you have to chug the whole bottle.  I intend to be completely blotto by the end of his speech.

One extra drinking game rule: If he mentions the 2200 soldiers that have died because of his war, or the 300,000 (a low estimate, in my opinion) Iraqi civilians who have died, you must immediately pour your bottle out into the kitchen sink because no amount of alcohol is going to make those numbers disappear or make them any easier to take in.  Over a quarter of a million human beings wiped out.  And for what?  Oil?  Revenge?  I’m not saying Saddam wasn’t a bad man – gassing your own people is a pretty evil thing to do.  But weren’t we supposed to be looking for Osama?  What happened there, Georgie?

"I want justice.  And there's an old poster out West…I recall, that said, 'Wanted, Dead or Alive.'” – George W. Bush, September 17th, 2001

“I don't know where he is.  You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you.” – George W. Bush, March 13th, 2002

Oh…right…

There will also be comments about his authorization of illegal wiretapping of US citizens.  As is normally the case, he will attempt to spin it to make it look like the Democrats are aiding the terrorists (or “terrists”, as he calls them) by suggesting that the NSA can’t listen to calls between people in the US and al-Qaeda.  This, of course, is complete and utter garbage.

The thing that Democrats – and several Republicans, including Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), who is planning hearings on these matters, and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – have a problem with is that Dubya didn’t follow the 1978 law that required him to go before the FISA court and request a warrant, which could be done up to 72 hours after the wiretap happened.  The problem was that the court was refusing him too many times.  So he decided that he didn’t have to justify himself to those people.  Unfortunately for him, this move could come back and bite him on the ass.

One thing that I believe will only be lightly touched upon, if at all, is the ongoing scandal involving Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

While congressional Republicans scramble to cover their tracks, pretend to take the high ground and introduce lobbying reform, and redirect attention to Democrats (more on this shortly), the White House is in a tizzy, trying to find and presumably confiscate or buy off any photos of Abramoff with Dubya so they can continue to deny that Bush even knows Abramoff.  That worked really well with Ken Lay, the CEO of Enron, didn’t it?  Well, except for those personal notes and Christmas cards from “Kenny-boy”.  Any time you hear about the White House insisting that Dubya has no idea who someone is, you can bet on it that he knows them well.  Case in point: Time Magazine has just announced that there are, in fact, five photos of Abramoff with Dubya, as well as three other pictures of Dubya with Ambramoff’s sons.  Whoops.  I have to wonder how press secretary Scott McClellan sleeps at night.  Probably with one eye open.

Congressional Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to drag the Democrats in Congress down with them.  They insist that Dems took almost as much from Abramoff as they did.  This is not, however, true.  Those Democrats who received donations got them from groups who were apparently clients of Abramoff.  That is the only connection.  Admittedly, it is a connection, and if those Democrats who took that money did so illegally, then they need to be punished for it, especially if it was in return for favors delivered.

Republicans, on the other hand, were lavished with gifts and money directly from Abramoff himself, including at least one private flight to Scotland to play golf at St. Andrews.  Tom DeLay, the former House Majority Leader who is currently under indictment for money laundering, was among the folks who went on that trip.  How many Democrats were on that trip, you ask?  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  Zip.

Abramoff admitted his guilt in bribing government officials and has offered to assist investigations, including naming names.  Originally, six Republican congressmen were said to have been outed.  Then the number moved up to twelve.  More recently, it was said that almost two dozen Republican congressmen were being named.

And how many Democrats were named (as of yet) by Abramoff?  I’ll tell you how many: None.

As I said, if any congressman (or congresswoman) did anything illegal, then they need to be punished.  Not only should they be required to give back the money to the groups they got it from, they should be forced to step down.  That also goes for anyone in the White House who is connected to any of this business.  These people need to be held accountable, regardless of their political party.

However, the constant litany of “this is a bipartisan scandal” needs to stop.  Abramoff dealt almost exclusively with Republicans himself, and they were the ones who got money directly from him.  This is a Republican scandal, through and through.

Another issue that more than likely will not be discussed is the ongoing investigation into the leak concerning Valerie Plame, the former CIA operative and wife of former ambassador Joe Wilson.

Not much has been said about the leak investigation lately, although it is still ongoing.  Word has it that Karl Rove is a bit nervous and frustrated over the lack of information coming from Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald.  If Rove is indicted, he intends to resign, although I sincerely doubt he’ll ever really “quit” his job as Dubya’s number one advisor.  He’ll just be “unofficial”.

As for I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, his trial on perjury charges should begin sometime this spring.  His legal team is currently working on a defense that Libby was not the first person to out Plame.  Clearly, his lawyers haven’t read the indictment, or they would be spending more time on trying to find an excuse as to why he lied to the Special Prosecutor and the grand jury.  That is, after all, what he was indicted for.

And there you have it.  These are my predictions for the State of the Union address.  And it’s early enough where I can either point out how many things I got right, or I can pull a Bill O’Reilly and insist that I never said any of this stuff, and there’s no transcript anywhere that you could find that would prove it.

And, to finish out my 2500-ish-word piece ripping apart the president, let me add a few more jibes toward his Kool-Aid-drinking talking head pundits:

  • Ann “Man Hands” Counter is a Republi-Con whore who wouldn’t recognize a real conservative if she was dry-humping one.

  • Rush Limbaugh, while not as fat as he used to be, is still a puffy, sexually frustrated drug addict.  With anal warts.  And he’s not particularly bright, either.

  • Sean Hannity knows less about politics than your average South American knows about the grooming habits of the majestic Canadian moose.

  • Bill Bennet is a racist scumbag who is a perfect example of what is wrong with today’s Republican Party.

  • Pat Robertson…Oh, hell…  Just go here and see for yourself.


  • Finally, I have to mention Chris Mathews.  I used to be a fan of Mathews – I especially liked Darrell Hammond’s dead-on Mathews impersonation on Saturday Night Live.  However, Chris has turned into…well…a bit of a prick.  His most recent diatribe is against Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) for her remarks at a primarily African-American church on Martin Luther King Day.  She said that the Republican-led congress is run like a plantation, and the Democrats are treated like the slaves – no say in anything, no choices, etc.  Apparently, this got to Mathews, and he won’t let it go.  He calls it race-baiting.  I call it pretty accurate.  He also compared Osama bin Laden’s latest audio tape to the work of Michael Moore.  I’d like to hear that explanation.

Remember: This year is a congressional election year.  Make a difference.  I don’t care who you vote for, just so long as you get out and vote.

All the best,
Derek
(DCF)