Guest Blogged by jaime

Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (R - IL), in a dazzling display of idiocy grumbled and groused over the funding of future rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. Preferring to bulldoze most of the city damaged by Katrina rather than rebuild it, Hastert exposed his coal black heart.

Hastert's callousness didn't stop there, he also took a swipe at other places existing in 'dangerous' areas:

Stubbornness.

So then...Damn those Californians living in earthquake prone...California. Or how about those idiot Floridians, Alabamans, Texans, Mississippians, Georgians, North and South Carolinians and Virginians for living anywhere near the coast. Hurricanes hit the coasts, don't you know. Maybe we should be leery of those midwesterners that build their homes in Tornado alley. The Southwest suffers droughts...can't live there.

As refugees pour out of New Orleans carrying suitcases filled with their most valuable posessions;While the poor folks left behind ransack grocery stores for survival; And as a 400 year old city of historical, financial, and cultural significance is submerged at Atlantis level proportions, it's good to know the conservatives in Congress are exhibiting that fiscal restraint they're famous for. If only Hastert and the boys were this concerned with the $300 Billion black hole called Iraq.

Congratulations Speaker Hastert, you too are an A-1 Jackass!

Guest blogged by jaime

Cat Killer. Flip-Flopper. Transparent panderer.
And now... convenient Creationist

Congratulations, Senator Frist...You're an A-1 jack-ass!

{Guest Blogged by Jaime}

Brad is cooling his jets in the ever famous undisclosed location. He is currently incapable of access to the "internets" so I am transcribing a message from him directly to you.

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Jaime)

photo courtesy of Reuters

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Jaime)

The last three weeks have been saturated with Terri Schiavo / Pope's Death news. While the American Main Stream Media has been focused on these two stories an injustice to democracy is occuring on the other side of the world. Zimbabwe's "President" Robert Mugabe retained and strengthened his grip on power gaining 46 of 120 open parliamentary seats and appointing an additional 30.
His opposition rival, leaver of the Movement for Democratic Change, Morgan Tsvangirai called the election a "disgusting, massive fraud"

Despite international scrutiny over the outcome of this "election" Mugabe seemed unfazed by his critics, laying out the political plans his newly gained mandate will allow him to push through.

In a post 9-11 / Iraqi Freedom world such an event would not stand, could not stand, should not stand with George Dubya Bush. Yet Mr. Democracy himself has been oddly silent in regards to the apparent steady repeal of Democracy in Zimbabwe. Dubya could not be taken away this weekend from his vacation clearing brush and chasing Arma-dillas with Barney to comment...he'd already broken into his free time to attend to the Schiavo matter.

Bush has had time to applaud Victor Yushchenko's victory as he met with the newly minted Ukranian President today. He also poked his nose in Lebanese affairs .

Yet very, very, quiet on Mugabe's election swindling. Mugabe has used many of the same fear mongering tactics and demagoguery as Bush is known for. Their media was also not so independent in its coverage of the election.

Mugabe seems to ape Bush's style. Intimidation, media control, false mandates and vote rigging; a more brutal riff off the American election template. When our foreign policy has been rhetorically pushed to 'freedom when we want it, where we want it, how we want it" a Democratic injustice in an African nation isn't worth the attention of steroids in Major League Baseball. Bush is on vacation while the media is out to lunch. It now seems democracy in Zimbabwe has gone the way of Terri Schiavo, the Pope, and Mark McGwire's legacy, yet one wouldn't notice these days.

Guest blogged by Jaime

Hey. Jaime Here. Friend of Freedom Fighter Friedman and occaisional guest blogger and contributor. As you all know, tomorrow, March 19th is the 2nd anniversary of George W. Bush's illegal invasion of Iraq. I just wanted to put out a call for you folks to network and clear up some time to join one of the many protests worldwide this weekend. Here are some of links with vital information of the whats, whens, and wheres.

ANSWER LA
UNITED FOR PEACE
STOP THE WAR
INDYBAY.ORG
NOT IN OUR NAME

Get out there and get active!

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by Jaime)

George W. Bush, the man who once invented an entire combat history with his quote "I've been to war" in 2002 has now completed into his move into an alternate reality with his decisive mentioning of the Soviet Dinar For those who don't know the dinar is Iraqi currency, not Soviet. That currency is the rouble.

How many times can he say something stupid before people realize, he's not just "bad with words"?

(NOTE: guest blogged by jaime)

(Guest blogged by jaime)

Last month, the Democratic National Convention in Boston proudly boasted minority delegates that exceded 40 percent of the total count. The Republicans boast "the most diverse delegation in their history to the Republican National Convention". The GOP points out with fancy facts, figures, and graphs how much more diverse they are than their counterparts.

Percentage Increase Of Ethnically Diverse Delegates between the 2000-2004 National Conventions

What many would miss in this graph is not how much less yellow there is than blue, but the fact that the Seventy actually represents the percentage increase in minorities. The actual numbers tell a vastly different story.

Now recent statistics show us minorities make up thirty percent of the American populace. The Republican party's leaps and bounds are old news to the rest of us. We learned from the 2000 Convention that they are willing to go through extraordinary lengthe to hid who they are and whose dog wags whose tail. The tactic of herding up every minority they could find and position them oh so slyly in front of network camera banks highlight their lack of shame.

In contrast the 2004 Democratic National Convention, whatever else you want to say about it, reflected not only what America is, but what it will be. It may have crafted a message of "unity" and "hope" that seemed disengenuous to some, but it was unafraid to hide its true character with such liberal progressive voices as Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean, Dennis Kucinich, and Al Sharpton taking the platform in or near prime time.

Now the Republicans would have the electorate believe that THEY are the face of moderation trotting out such GOP all-stars as John McCain, Rudy Guiliani, and Ah-nuld himself.

The conservative christian base is now ticked off because the purse strings that put Bush in power are no longer welcome. The Republicans are taking great care to hide it's true nature. Uninvited Pat Robertson told reporters:

Ah-nuld and Guiliani are both decidedly liberal on social issues, yet their Prime Time speaking slots they posses are designed to fool the undecided as to who really pulls the GOP strings. When Representative Jim Kolbe spoke in their 2000 Convention many in the audience bowed their heads, turned their backs and walked out.

Whether Bush is certain his base will follow lockstep or the "mushy middle" will be shocked and awed by his convention smoke and mirrors, all of us on the left know that the face of the Republican Party is less Guiliani and more Robertson. The platform, which will include, Anti-gay amendments to the Constitution, Pro-Choice rollbacks, Blurring of Separation of Church and State, Pro gun laws, Anti-Environmental bills, and the quelching of requested Stem-Cell research funding are the antithesis of the positions of main stream America. But with a little help from his friends Bush may fool some of the people all of the time and...wait...all of them some of the people time...can't get fooled again.

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

General Tommy Franks (ret.), has managed a two-fer of sorts. he has both taken one for the team and ruffled feathers.

In promoting his new book AMERICAN SOLDIER Gen. Franks has upset the right by completing the trifecta of Republican no-no's by 1) Considering John Kerry 'Absolutely' qualified to be Commander in Chief 2) Refusing to condemn Michael Moore or Farenheit 9/11 and 3) being unable to pledge his allegiance to George W. Bush's re-election campaign. Days later, like the good soldier he is, Gen. Franks takes Dubya off the hook for the Mission Accomplished sign. From AP:

A staunch independent, Franks has rocked the boat which will undeniably lead to attacks by those unwilling to turn him into a tool. The good General becomes the newest battlefield in the world of election year politics. The right can not count on him to be their go to guy and he is already "spending more time with his family" we can only sit and wait to see how the Democrats and Republicans spin this one.

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

TO WHERE?

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

Well, we've had quite a hullaballoo over this "non-partisan" swiftboat veterans for truth. Besides the obvious problems I have with that site and the book they are hawking, I am truly suspicious of certain authors Jerome Corsi and John E. O'neill.

Now most people know Mr. O'neill as underling to Nixon lackey Charles Colson. But who is Jerome Corsi? Really? Thanks to a free virtual press I have uncovered a Media Matters article that details the ties between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and **cue scary music** Freerepublic.com.

I mention this site only rarely. This time it is to highlight jrlc or Jerome Corsi in the virtual world. This amazing defender of truth is also one grade A slimeball. The one tasked with doing the RNC's dirty work is a true dirtbag himself as evidenced by his thought provoking posts on the site.

Media Matters details his many enlightening posts and points directly where they can be found. Congratulations Republicans, you have learned two valuable lessons. The first is...Be careful what you put out into the ether; you never know what will be uncovered. Number two be careful who you get to carry your flag. They may wind up leaving you twist in the wind.

UPDATE: The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is broken down in greater detail here.

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

In a stunning piece of journalism, The Boston Globe has uncovered a long history of ties between former Liberian dictator and U.S. ally, Charles Taylor.

American intelligence and United Nations investigators had detailed many meetings with Al Qaeda operatives and Taylor's government even after September 11, 2001. Some in the U.S. even considered taking action.

-Boston Globe, Aug 4, 2004

Liberia's big business, diamonds, were a top earner for Al Qaeda and their various acts of terrorism.

-Boston Globe, Aug 4, 2004

These revelation are stunning enough, but what is even more appalling is not just fact that Mr. Taylor was on the C.I.A. payroll, or that it took a great public outcry to get him removed from his post as President of Liberia, or that Christian Pharisee/ Mullah Pat Robertson derided the outcry against his blood money partner because President Bush was "undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels", no...

The Terror Warriors in the Bush adminstration pledged to dismantle the terrorists and the nations that harbor them in September, yet ignored the CIA asset that funded the terrorists and the nation that harbored them. So, Mr. President? What happens when a Dictator is both with us AND against us?

(NOTE: This entry guest blogged by jaime)

In a stunning piece of journalism, The Boston Globe has uncovered a long history of ties between former Liberian dictator and U.S. ally, Charles Taylor.

American intelligence and United Nations investigators had detailed many meetings with Al Qaeda operatives and Taylor's government even after September 11, 2001. Some in the U.S. even considered taking action.

Liberia's big business, diamonds, were a top earner for Al Qaeda and their various acts of terrorism.

These revelation are stunning enough, but what is even more appalling is the not just fact that Mr. Taylor was on the C.I.A. payroll, or that it took a great public outcry to get him removed from his post as President of Liberia, or that Christian Pharisee/ Mullah Pat Robertson derided the outcry against his blood money partner because President Bush was 'undermining a Christian, Baptist president to bring in Muslim rebels', no...

The Terror Warriors in the Bush adminstration pledged to dismantle the terrorists and the nations that harbor them in September, yet ignored the CIA asset that funded the terrorists and the nation that harbored them. So, Mr. President? What happens when a Dictator is both with us AND against us?