JaBbA's Hut - Political Rants

Hypocrisy in Action

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 13:05:20 -0400

Amazing.

Michelle Malkin had defended - vociferously - the Bush Administration's treatment of detainees, and denounced international efforts to extend civil rights to them.

Now, she's calling for...get this...the International Criminal Court to intervene on behalf of some Christians sentenced to death in Indoenesia.

Their crime?

Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marinus Riwa were condemned to death because they were found guilty of masterminding a massacre of 200 Muslims in Poso during inter-faith clashes in 2000.

That's right. They're terrorists.

I can't say it any better than Glenn Greenwald. JaBbA says read it there.

Schneier: What the Terrorists Want

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:37:34 -0400

Bruce Schneier is one of the world's leading experts on security, the founder of Counterpane Security, the author of some of my favorite security books: Practical Cryptography, Secrets and Lies and, most recently, Beyond Fear. And someone I have had multiple opportunities to sit down with and talk about the state of security, both digital and real-world.

He has long made the point that our government and media are giving the terrorists exactly what they want by engaging in "security theatre", which has no real effect on safety. He spells it out again in his newest essay, What the Terrorists Want.

It's time we calm down and fight terror with anti-terror. This does not mean that we simply roll over and accept terrorism. There are things our government can and should do to fight terrorism, most of them involving intelligence and investigation -- and not focusing on specific plots.

But our job is to remain steadfast in the face of terror, to refuse to be terrorized. Our job is to not panic every time two Muslims stand together checking their watches. There are approximately 1 billion Muslims in the world, a large percentage of them not Arab, and about 320 million Arabs in the Middle East, the overwhelming majority of them not terrorists. Our job is to think critically and rationally, and to ignore the cacophony of other interests trying to use terrorism to advance political careers or increase a television show's viewership.

The surest defense against terrorism is to refuse to be terrorized. Our job is to recognize that terrorism is just one of the risks we face, and not a particularly common one at that. And our job is to fight those politicians who use fear as an excuse to take away our liberties and promote security theater that wastes money and doesn't make us any safer.

Ever since Reagan declared a "War on Drugs" we have gotten used to thinking about this as a war - and, of course, Bush just loves to think about his legacy as a "War President". But The Clinton administration had it right - these people aren't an army, they're a criminal conspiracy and it is criminal investigation and intelligence work that will finally stop them.

JaBbA says check it out.

This Hole in the Groud - Keith Olbermann

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 10:48:15 -0400

I've been posting a lot of Keith's commentaries, but it's because he has become a powerful voice speaking out against the administration's policies. Perhaps his strongest, and most moving piece yet:

This Hole in the Ground

If the video is off the MSNBC site, truthout has it here.

If I could write like this, I would. Transcript, in it's entirety, here:

Continue reading "This Hole in the Groud - Keith Olbermann"

More from Keith

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 10:36:50 -0400

It's too bad that the Administration doesn't understand the first corollary of Godwin's Law of Usenet

When someone makes a comparison to Hitler or the Nazi regime, the discussion is ended and the one who made the analogy has lost the arguement.

One of the most shameful periods of American history was ended on June 9, 1954 when Joseph Welch, responding to McCarthy's usual tactics, uttered a line now famous for its immediate impact. Keith Olbermann evokes that moment in his latest commentary:

Have you no sense of decency, sir?

Quoted below:
Continue reading "More from Keith"

There is Fascism, Indeed

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 12:36:17 -0400

While Jon Stewart on The Daily Show has possibly been the Administration's most recognized critic (To the point that Geraldo Rivera found it necessary claim he is unimportant because he and Colbert "make a living putting on video of old ladies slipping on ice and people laughing", Keith Olbermann is becoming this generation's most erudite critic.

In reaction to Rumsfeld's speech to the American Legion, in which he compared the Bush Administration's current policies to Churchill's fight against fascism, Oldbermann replied:

Mr. Rumsfeld's remarkable speech to the American Legion yesterday demands the deep analysis-and the sober contemplation-of every American.

For it did not merely serve to impugn the morality or intelligence - indeed, the loyalty - of the majority of Americans who oppose the transient occupants of the highest offices in the land. Worse, still, it credits those same transient occupants - our employees - with a total omniscience; a total omniscience which neither common sense, nor this administration's track record at home or abroad, suggests they deserve.

[snip]

His government, absolute - and exclusive - in its knowledge, is not the modern version of the one which stood up to the Nazis.

It is the modern version of the government of Neville Chamberlain.

Read the Transcript and Watch the Video.

At this point, Keith, JaBbA says that you, of all current journalists, have the right to evoke Edward R. Murrow:

Continue reading "There is Fascism, Indeed"

What do you call a High School girl who gets abstinence-only sex ed?

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 10:03:05 -0400

Mommy.

At Timken High School in Canton, 13% - that's ONE IN EIGHT, folks - of the female seniors is pregnant. Canton went to an abstinence-only sex ed curriculum some time ago to attract federal dollars that would be denied if they gave the kids information that just might have stopped some of those pregnancies. They've just now realized that that was a mistake.

From the AP via the Las Vegas Sun:

"It's time to take the blinders off and realize that these kids are having sex," she said. "Obviously, abstinence is not working. If we have to, just give them condoms."

That's the mother of a pregnant teen in Canton.

John Van Dyke: Show the average American teenage male a condom, and his mind will turn to thoughts of lust.
Toby Ziegler: Show the average American teenage male a lug wrench, and his mind will turn to thoughts of lust.

-- The West Wing, Pilot Episode

Kids are going to have sex. The genie is out of that bottle, folks - and has been since boy first looked at girl. There are two things you can teach a kid that might just keep them safe - #1 Make them confident, self-assured kids who can think for themselves and they might just make the right choice and #2 Teach them what to do if they make the choice you'd rather they not make. But #1 assumes that you want kids to think for themselves - which "just say no" zealots clearly don't want. And #2 assumes you trust the kids with the information. Again, see the problem with #1.

JaBbA say give 'em free condoms along with some reality-based information.

Teeing Off

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 12:34:41 -0400

Henry Rollins on the Internet site for his IFC show, Episode #20 "Teeing Off":

Freedom is under attack - under attack by hysterical and well-funded Christian psychotics; intellectually under-nourished leaders who lie and manipulate information; overfed, Baby Huey coward bitch motherf***ers like Karl Rove and their suckup weakling apologists like Sean Hannity. To question authority is to be somehow unpatriotic, Un-American and in league with terrorists worldwide?

F*** YOU

Video here. Not work safe!

JaBbA says check it out. With headphones. And spread the word.

... and Never Relent!

How to respond to "Stay The Course"

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:20:20 -0400

Never has so much military and economic and diplomatic power been used so ineffectively, and if after all of this time, and all of this sacrifice, and all of this support, there is still no end in sight, then I say the time has come for the American people to turn to new leadership not tied to the mistakes and policies of the past.

The speaker? Richard M. Nixon, 1968, attacking the Vietnam policies of the Johnson administration.

Nixon just made Vietnam worse, but the framing was perfect. It was the perfect argument to defeat the "Stay The Course" arguement - and still is.

So I say to the Democrats: Never has so much military and economic and diplomatic power been used so ineffectively, and if after all of this time, and all of this sacrifice, and all of this support, there is still no end in sight, then I say the time has come for the American people to turn to new leadership not tied to the mistakes and policies of the past.

Finally, someone just comes out and says it

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 14:47:54 -0400

Steve Bradbury, Acting Deputy Attorney General, in testimony before Congress:

The President is always right.

The Doctrine of the Unitary Executive. Yes, he was being a little sarcastic. But this is one of the guys who is supposed to give the President legal advice, and he's saying that it doesn't matter if the President was right or wrong on a legal matter, because once we were attacked, the President is always right. Even when he has no clue.

Just completely scary.

Scotty Economics

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:16:46 -0400

"Sorry Cap'n, It'll take at least 8 hours to get the warp engines back online"

"Scotty, you've got 10 minutes"

[10 minutes later]

"Scotty, you're a miracle worker".

Sound Familiar?

2003: "The 2004 Budget deficit will be $512 million. I pledge to cut that in half by 2009".

2004: "Good news, the 2004 budget deficit is ONLY $400 million!".

2006: "Good news, the budget deficit will be ONLY $296 million. I'm on track to cut the deficit in half a year early!!! I'm a miracle worker!"

Talk about your "fuzzy math". Remember, we were running a SURPLUS in 2000.

UPDATE According to Raw Story, the numbers are even fuzzier, and 2007 will see deficits RISE again.

As long as we're using the Constitution to legislate morality

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 10:06:01 -0400

We probably should be adding an Amendment to ban adultery. It is, after all, one of the 10 Commandments.

Which of these Republicans do you think should introduce the bill?

Clueless in Washington

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Tue, 23 May 2006 10:12:22 -0400

You think the Republican Leadership understands reality in America?

This is American economics according to House Speaker Dennis Hastert:

well, folks, if you earn $40,000 a year and have a family of two, you don't pay any taxes. So you probably if you don't pay any taxes, you are not going to get a big tax cut. Now, if you earn $1 million a year, you are going to pay about $400,000 of taxes. Maybe you'll get a $40,000 tax cut ...

And they REALLY BELIEVE this crap. Analyze the cost/benefit balance of a $4000 tax cut going to a guy earning $40k, vs. a $40,000 tax cut going to the millionaire. The working stiff gets a 10% raise and it costs the american taxpayer 1/10th of the largess to the millionaire.

"I don't think anyone predicted the breach of the levees"

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 21:59:05 -0500

That's what Bush said 4 days after Katrina.

However, a leaked video of a briefing 19 hours BEFORE Katrina shows a briefing with Bush in attendance from his ranch.

He was warned about the levees, and about the Superdome. It was clear that FEMA chief Brown was sufficiently worried about the storm. Perhaps he took his later cavalier attitude from his boss.

JaBbA says check it out. And then see if anyone sill claims that Bush isn't a liar.

Yes, they CAN be hacked

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 07:09:18 -0500

There's been a lot of suspicion that there may be something wrong with the Diebold voting machines for some time. Security experts suspect that the design and coding practices of the programmers are sloppy, leaving the machines riddled with holes. Political people suspect that the Diebold president's Right-wing tendencies mean that the holes are on purpose.

Whatever the reason, the holes are real. Leon County, FL has just dumped the Diebold Opti-scan machines after it was proved, in front of rolling cameras, that the results of the election could be reversed.

Remember, Ohio Sec of State Ken Blackwell specified Diebold machines ONLY.

New Orleans left undefended

nospam@example.com (JaBbA) — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 13:17:01 -0400

From Common Dreams:

National Guard troops donât belong in Iraq. They should be rescuing and protecting in Louisiana and Mississippi, not patrolling and killing in a country that was invaded on the basis of presidential deception. They should be fighting the effects of flood waters at home -- helping people in the communities they know best -- not battling Iraqi people who want them to go away.

JaBbA says Amen.