Happy Thanksgiving?

I watched some t.v. with my daughter last night. (I'm not a t.v. watcher, but sometimes it gives me an excuse to sit and knit.) I was disgusted by ad after ad after ad for "day after Thanksgiving" sales, many starting at 4 a.m. And our newspaper yesterday weighed at least 3 lbs. -- I'm not exaggerating -- because of all the circulars. It is obscene. All the more so, after reading this article today about hunger in the U.S.

I have to say, I take issue with the wording of this last paragraph:

“At least at this time of the year they are prepared to give generously but the worry is that a system based on charity will mean that the supply of donated food will always ebb and flow,” he [Mark Winne] said. ” We may be entering one of those perfect storms where everything goes wrong but if we depend on food charity rather than ending poverty, this is what is bound to occur.”

Calling it "a perfect storm" somehow implies that the hunger crisis facing Americans and those who would help them is an act of God. Make no mistake -- this is one more product of the greed and callousness of the Bush administration, whose policies have willfully created a shrinking middle class, a rise in the number of "working poor" and homeless families, a culture of rampant materialism, selfishness at the top, despair at the bottom, and no "safety net."

I think that statistics show that people with less income tend to give a greater percentage of what they have, than those with more. I have no problem with charitable giving. I honor anyone, rich or poor, who sees a responsibility greater than themselves to help others.

But I also happen to believe that a government has a responsibility to take care of its citizens (both those born here and those born elsewhere.)

The teachings of Jesus were essentially about not hurting others and taking care of the poor.

Most politicians like to bray loudly about their faith, and no one brays louder than George F.W. Bush.

I am disgusted.

NOLA, Two Years On

Criminal.

"All I ever wanted," said Georgie, his big blue eyes filling with tears, "was to spread democracy across the Middle East."

You almost need a barf bag handy when you read this article by Peter Baker (is that another one of Jeff Gannon's pseudonyms?) from the Washington Post.

By the time he arrived in Prague in June for a democracy conference, President Bush was frustrated. He had committed his presidency to working toward the goal of "ending tyranny in our world," yet the march of freedom seemed stalled. Just as aggravating was the sense that his own government was not committed to his vision.

As he sat down with opposition leaders from authoritarian societies around the world, he gave voice to his exasperation. "You're not the only dissident," Bush told Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a leader in the resistance to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. "I too am a dissident in Washington. Bureaucracy in the United States does not help change. It seems that Mubarak succeeded in brainwashing them." (Position the bag and read the rest here.)

My first question is the obvious one: He sees himself as a dissident in Washington? Just who or whom does he see himself in opposition to -- an oppressive regime, i.e. his?

My second question (and one I've asked before): How can anyone who fancies himself a journalist write about anything that Bush says or does as if it's credible?

The story of how a president's vision is translated into thorny policy is a classic Washington tale of politics, inertia, rivalries and funding battles -- and a case study in the frustrated ambition of a besieged presidency. Bush says his goal of "ending tyranny" will take many generations, and he aims to institutionalize it as U.S. policy no matter who follows him in the White House. And for all the difficulties of the moment, it may yet, as he hopes, see fruition down the road.

Oh, for Pete's sake! Or as my mom used to say, "Cry me a river!" So Jo-ji Bushie is the bold outsider with a Vision, but he's up against D.C. bureaucrats ... yes, yes, it's taking shape in my mind as a, yes, a comic book! Mild-mannered, bespectacled, slightly nerdy but lovable politician wants nothing more than to battle tyranny in the world, steps into a nearby phone booth and becomes Democracy Man!

Now where did I put that barf bag?

Jo-ji Channels Marie Antoinette

"I mean, people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room."

Irrelevant?

So, the White House thinks former president, elder statesmen, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter is "increasingly irrelevant"? I think that Jimmy Carter has more relevancy, more intelligence, more human decency ... in one of his fingernail clippings than any of those shills in the White House. How dare they?

I Want My Country Back

In the name of self preservation, I am neither watching nor listening to Bunnypants when he addresses the nation tonight. I cannot tolerate his smirking mug and his petulant whiny voice. I will be playing my guitar, or maybe playing pick-up sticks with my daughter. Besides, I already know what lies will spew forth. Not funny joke: How do you know when Dubya is lying? His lips are moving.

Up until Nov. 2, 2004 I found it amusing to seek out the quotes where he totally mangled the language, contradicted himself, or made pronouncements that were beyond absurd. After that election was stolen (and yes, I believe with all my heart that it was stolen -- not from John Kerry, but from us, you know -- we the people? The ones on the cover of Time magazine?) I could no longer stomach it. This man is the figurehead of the government that has stolen and desecrated our future: my children's future, your children's future. Christ, there are too many children who have no future because you can't have a future when you're, you know, dead.

But he's bringing Iraq the best democracy money can buy!

To any reader who feels inclined to leave a comment telling me that he is president and deserving of my respect, I say that he is NOT MY PRESIDENT. I want my country back.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel 2

How despicable can BushCo get? The thing I would dispute is whether they really think they've screwed it up. I believe their intent from the start was to slash, burn, and make out like bandits in the process. That is certainly what they've done and will continue to do as long as they can prolong this war.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said yesterday that he believes top officials in the Bush administration have privately concluded they have lost Iraq and are simply trying to postpone disaster so the next president will "be the guy landing helicopters inside the Green Zone, taking people off the roof," in a chaotic withdrawal reminiscent of Vietnam.

"I have reached the tentative conclusion that a significant portion of this administration, maybe even including the vice president, believes Iraq is lost," Biden said. "They have no answer to deal with how badly they have screwed it up. I am not being facetious now. Therefore, the best thing to do is keep it from totally collapsing on your watch and hand it off to the next guy -- literally, not figuratively."

read the article ...

NOW can we impeach him?

Dirty Rotten Scoundrel

By now you've probably seen this wonderful little bit of news:

President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.

That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.

read more ...

NOW can we impeach him?

In the last 6 years we have lost so much of what we take for granted as basic rights -- and there is so much that we've lost that we don't even know about. The signing statement referred to in this article was done quietly, during the Congressional recess, not that the Rubber Stamp Congress would have made a peep. I'm not holding my breath for the Dems either. However, if you think Commander Bunnypants ought to -- you know, operate within the laws of our nation -- it wouldn't hurt to contact your representatives in Congress and demand some accountability. Get rid of illegal signing statements for starters.

And make a lot of noise about impeachment. There are two more years in which this administration can do a lot more damage.