Sunday, February 29, 2004

No real words of wisdom 4 U this sunday morning -- but here's some tongue-in-cheek humor to start your week ~!  I can relate to this as a "member" of Alcoholics Anonymous for 22+ years -- and i often turned to booze because i didn't 'fit in' and i didn't 'fit in' because i thought too much or too well ~!  Be sure to read the last line.

Thinker's Anonymous...

It started out innocently enough. I began to think at parties now and then to loosen up. Inevitably though, one thought led to another, and soon I was more than just a social thinker. I began to think alone -- "to relax," I told myself -- but I knew it wasn't true. Thinking became more and more important to me, and finally I was thinking all the time.

I began to think on the job. I knew that thinking and employment don't mix, but I couldn't stop myself. I began to avoid friends at lunchtime so I could read Thoreau and Kafka. I would return to the office dizzied and confused, asking, "What is it exactly we are doing here?"

Things weren't going so great at home either. One evening I had turned off the TV and asked my husband about the meaning of life. He spent that night at his mother's.

I soon had a reputation as a heavy thinker. One day the boss called me in. He said, "Skippy, I like you, and it hurts me to say this, but your thinking has become a real problem. If you don't stop thinking on the job, you'll have to find another job."  This gave me a lot to think about.

I came home early after my conversation with the boss. "Honey," I confessed, I've been thinking..." "I know you've been thinking," He said, "and I want a divorce!"  "But Honey, surely it's not that serious."

"It is serious," He said, lower lip aquiver. "You think as much as college professors, and college professors don't make any money, so if you keep on thinking we won't have any money!"

"That's a faulty syllogism," I said impatiently, and he began to cry. I'd had enough. "I'm going to the library," I snarled as I stomped out the door. I headed for the library, in the mood for some Nietzsche, with NPR on the radio. I roared into the parking lot and ran up to the big glass doors ... they didn't open. The library was closed. To this day, I believe that a Higher Power was looking out for me that night.

As I sank to the ground clawing at the unfeeling glass, whimpering for Zarathustra, a poster caught my eye. "Friend, is heavy thinking ruining your life?" it asked.

You probably recognize that line. It comes from the standard Thinker's Anonymous poster. Which is why I am what I am today: a recovering thinker. I never miss a TA meeting.

At each meeting we watch a non-educational video; last week it was "Porky's." Then we share experiences about how we avoided thinking since the last meeting. I still have my job, and things are a lot better at home.

Life just seemed ... easier, somehow, as soon as I stopped thinking.

Soon, I'll be able to vote Republican

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:24 | link | comments (1)

Saturday, February 28, 2004

Home Sweet Texas...  O.K. kiddies, time for a little history lesson -- of political import.  Seems some of the best nooze and views on the good ole us of a is published by the "Guardian" in merry ole England.  And the content of this post comes from an article they did on MY 'om state, Texas, last summer, but it's still timely, today.  In a nutshell, it gives quite a history of the Bush family dynasty, with political roots right near my front door in West Texas.  And, it's not a pretty picture. The full article is a quick read, with excerpts below.  The Dr. Neil Carmen, cited in the article, worked for the Texas Air Control Board back in the mid-90's and I dated him, briefly, in Odessa.  Long before we met, as meditators and vegetarians, I worked in Austin during one legislative session, drafted some 38 environmental bills, with only one seeing the light of day (getting out of committee and passed into law, loosening evidentary proceedings in pollution cases -- after my bill, you could stand outside the chain link fence, take photographic evidence of the shit in the ditch or crud in the air and introduce same into a court of law -- before this, you and your camera had to be INSIDE the chain link fence surrounding the polluter's property). 

See:  Dark heart of the American dream from http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine/story/0,11913,738196,00.html

It's the most polluted state in the planet's most powerful country. Ed Vulliamy goes into George Bush's backyard to reveal how big oil got in bed with big politics and the price paid by the little people

Like a naive ninnie, I fought the good environmental fight in Texas during the '70's -- it was tough then, but seems almost hopeless now, in light of the Bush dynasty and control.  Yesterday Texas, today Washington, tomorrow the world. With Bush family business back home in the US presidency, it now moves, in the form of the father, to the apex of global finance.

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:07 | link | comments

Friday, February 27, 2004

BEYOND TRIVIAL PURSUITS...  Thursday and Wed. nites, there were HOURS of t.v. time devoted to the blowing-up of some stupid baseball in Chicago, but only a few sound-bites on Alan Greenspan's recommendations that social
security be CUT BACK in order to pay for bushie's deficit spending and tax-give-aways to the wealthy.  What this country really needs is a good, HONEST, unbiased public affairs TV channel, 24/7, with mandatory viewing (e.g. no OTHER programming available) from 8 to 9 pm daily to INFORM and educate the populace on REAL issues that affect our lives.

With his pointed warning Wednesday on Social Security's finances, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan unambiguously aligned himself with those who are pushing to cut back benefits in the program that has long been the bulwark of the nation's social safety net.

In re: Greenspan's "suggestions", "This is nothing more than using Social Security to pay for the president's tax cuts," said Scott Frey, an adviser to the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, a Washington lobbying group. "Rather than focus on taxes as a means to address the deficit, he is going straight at entitlement programs that people depend
upon."

To see just HOW the "social security surplus" has been created and then MIS-managed, see:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/26 /BUGC258D251.DTL&type=business

posted by ladywolfsong, 09:06 | link | comments

FREE SPEECH OR CENSORCHIP??? 

In re: howie stern getting the boot, he COULD always invest in a thesaurus and still speak his mind, only in polysyllabic terms, non-offensive ones at that.  For example, bushie personifies a perverse, petulant, penurious, peremptory, perfidious prevaricator, profligately pandering to special interests.  Of course, W. would have NO IDEA what any of that means -- he'd probably think he was being complemented ~!  Translation, he's a twisted, sulking, imperious (not to be confused w/ PREemptory or first strike taking), dis-loyal lying prick of an SOB who constantly caves to his special interest friends ~! 

See how much fun words can be???  When i was in college, i sat in my dorm room reading the dictionary on friday nites rather than endure watching football games -- my choice of 'fun' -- since i had few dates, it made more sense.  And, eventually, i made a fairly decent living with words (and strung 78,000 of them together in my autobiography at http://www.booklocker.com, title "Scaling the Slippery Slope" as eBook)

Sterns trash talk serves no useful or socially redeeming purpose -- in other words, it's NOT uplifting.  We (he) CAN exercise "free speech" and still not need a bar of granny's lye soap to wash out the oral cavity ~!

Last nite i watched 2/3 of the dem debate in L.A. on cnn -- dang but i'm proud of those guys ~!  Talk about the last, best hope we have for even coming CLOSE to taking back this country FOR the people -- with the least to lose, Kuchinich made the BEST sense of all, i'm glad Sharpton is THERE -- the guy is quick-witted, raises a lot of good issues and tells it like a Dutch uncle -- plain-spoken.  Of course, Edwards is good eye-candy for moi (if he'd just get that little dealie cut off his left lip), also makes good sense, but then there's our probable next prexy -- his honor the Kerry.  I'm still not convinced he's not a plant, but at least he wouldn't require twice weekly waterings like a certain bush in the white house.

It's spring (almost) here in the desert, i'm a good two months behind in my yard work, but as SOON as garden is growing nicely, i'm re-doing my website to pump up low-cost dome housing for other retired or retiring old hippies like myself and the much-anticipated papercrete workshop here this fall.  Stay posted for more.

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:16 | link | comments (1)

Thursday, February 26, 2004

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:16 | link | comments

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

On gay marriages/unions...  Talk about a tempest in a teapot ~!  I mean, whose BUSINESS is it, anyway and besides that, WHO CARES???  Maybe the moralistic minority 'cares', but they don't HAVE a dog in that fight, not really -- if you don't 'believe' gays should marry, THEN DON'T MARRY ONE ~! 

Since there have only been 27 or so constitutional amendments, they need a 2/3 congressional vote and then 3/4 of the states must ratify them (within 7 years or they die, e.g. equal rights for WOMEN) and the last one dragged on from 1789 to 1992 before it was ratified, doesn't bushie's hue and cry look like nothing more than political pandering "to his base" on this issue?

GET REAL -- we have a NUMBER of bonafied 'issues' in this election far more important than if Jim and Jack get hitched or not -- don't even get me started on environmental degradation, or tax reform, but take jobs for a quickie instance.

According to one source, the jobless rate reflects discouragement. Officially, 8.3 million active job seekers were unemployed last month in the United States, said the Bureau of Labor Statistics. But the federal agency that keeps track of the nation's payrolls also estimated there were 4.9 million more who'd like to work but were so frustrated in their search that they've given up. http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/2413856

In a Mother Jones article, 1 in 4 of us are "employed" at jobs that don't pay the bills -- that's a BUNCH ~!  See the article, "Witness to the Betrayal" by  Beth Shulman.  The 30 million working Americans who can't make ends meet aren't on the margins of our economy -- they are in the stagnating mainstream.  http://ga3.org/ct/j71NfK11XBIQ/.  Then, there's "One would have hoped he would have created as many jobs as donors," Corrado said, referring to the net loss of jobs since Bush took office. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/22/politics/campaign/22VOTE.html  And, gaffes by Bush economic team worry conservatives.  http://makeashorterlink.com/?C48932D77

And more e-headlines:  Economists Have a Beef About Jobs at http://makeashorterlink.com/?N49923D77
Where Did the Jobs Go? at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4340784/

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:31 | link | comments

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

I HATE walls ~!  While i agree w/ Carl Sandburg, that 'good fences make for good neighbors' -- and i DO like part of MY yard fenced -- to keep my dog in and YOUR dog OUT, i've never believed in "fencing off" two-leggeds.   Walls perpetuate the nonsensical concept of insiders and outsiders -- we vs. "they", us vs. "them".  I grew up an "outsider" in my own family of origin -- because of that wall thing -- i've always thought waaaaaay outside the box -- in fact, i couldn't even FIND the danged box ~!    I was a 'heathen' in a family who eschewed their Native heritage, a believer (and practicing proponent thereof) in "free love" in the '60's with a mother who couldn't even spell "organism" and my ambitions went far beyond a mere B.A. and teaching school (i wanted to attend both law and medical school - rank heresy for someone w/ ovaries in MY "family). 

It's not been THAT long since the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, and now Sharon is intent on resurrecting ANOTHER ONE, even higher and longer, to segregate the west bank / palestenians.  While violence / terrorism IS a 'bad' thing, in that it doesn't tend to serve resolution of conflict, you'll never convince me that Great Spirit favors any one parcel of real estate over another (ergo ALL terra firma is "holy" land), and i really DO think all people should strive to SHARE stuff ~!

The world needs more bridges, NOT more "walls" ~!

America is complicit in illegal wall...  WHEN THE International Court of Justice at The Hague meets on Monday about Israel's "security fence" in the West Bank, it should find that the wall constitutes a violation of both fundamental human rights and international law.  http://makeashorterlink.com/?R21711D77
 
Israelis speak out against Sharon's wall.  http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:38 | link | comments

Monday, February 23, 2004

A wee bit of humor to start the week:  George Bush goes to a primary school to talk about the war.After his talk he offers question time.One little boy puts up his hand and George asks him what his name is."Billy.""And what is your question, Billy?""I have 3 questions.First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN?Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes?And third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden? "Just then the bell rings for recess.

George Bush informs the kiddies thatthey will continue after recess.When they resume George says, "OK, where were we? Oh that's right ---question time. Who has a question?"Another little boy puts up his hand.George points him out and asks him what his name is."Steve""And what is your question, Steve?""I have 5 questions.First, why did the USA invade Iraq without the support of the UN?Second, why are you President when Al Gore got more votes?Third, whatever happened to Osama Bin Laden?Fourth, why did the recess bell go off 20  minutes early?  And fifth,  what the heck happened to Billy?"

NOT quite so amusing, remember Neil Bush and the S&L scandals...?  Well, fallout from the bailout goes on. Here are some facts on the infamous S&L scandal of the eighties which we are still paying for.  The Savings and Loan scandal is the largest theft in the history of the world.

     When S&L owners who stole millions went to jail, their sentances were typically one-fifth that of the average bank robber.
The goverment bail out will cost the taxpayers around $1.4 trillion dollars when it is over.  If the White House had stepped in and bailed out the S&L's in 1986 instead of delaying until after the 1988 elections, the cost might have been only $20 billion.

   With the money lost from the S&L scandals, the government could have provided prenatal care for every American child for the next 2,300 years.  With the money lost from the S&L scandals, the government could have
purchased 5 million average homes.  The authors of "Inside Job", a book about the S&L scandal, found criminal
activity at every S&L they investigated

    Guess we DO, too have the best guv-mint money can buy ~!

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:18 | link | comments

Sunday, February 22, 2004

A Farewell to Arms...  or at least armed conflict.  Conflict and war among nations begin with friction between individual people.  A nation at war is simply the effect of spiritual darkness born of animosity and intolerance among individuals who comprise the nation.  As long as brothers, sisters or friends can find reason to clash with one another, nations will devise "reasons" for bloody battle.

We've been fooled -- duped, into believing that our actions toward others have no overall impact upon the world at large.  WRONG ~!  Not only do interactions between just two people contribute to the state of the world, each interaction totally and completely transforms the world ~!  But it's difficult to detect this global "makeover" because everyone else's actions are also transforming the planet at every moment.  The state of the world (and our own gestalt) is merely the sum total of human interaction.

When enough people make the effort to find good in one another, nations will suddenly and miraculously discover ways to achieve a lasting harmony.  Sound idealistic?  Then just think about it -- what if EVERYONE just decided "no more shooting" and put all the guns down.  It really can happen.

There it is -- the formula for world peace, one gun at a time.  It begins with individuals -- with each of us.  Peace flourishes when we extend tolerance, unconditionally, to our neighbors.  Know with complete conviction that our efforts and actions DO effect change in the entire world, in that one moment.

Solutions for peace are never political, philosophical or militaristic.  Vengegeance and violance, even when justified, are merely fighting darkness with more darkness.  Solutions are possible, but must be grounded upon spiritual Light and the human soul. -- adapted and embellished, from The 72 Names of God -- Technology for the Soul by Yehuda Berg. 

`Bush says "Bring 'Em On"
We Say: "Bring them home,NOW"
Veterans For Peace.Inc
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/
Military Families Speak Out
http://www.mfso.org/
http://www.bringthemhomenow.com/
MARCH 20 AROUND THE UNITED STATES
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/mar20
MILITARY FAMILIES AND VETERANS TO RALLY AT FT. BRAGG
On March 20th
http://www.ncpeacehub.org/
NEW YORK CITY: JOINT MARCH & RALLY PLANNED March 20
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/nyc

posted by ladywolfsong, 04:43 | link | comments

Saturday, February 21, 2004

THE TIFF OF THE TITANS...  is it really ???

Bush v. Kerry -- The Power Elite's Dream Ballot By MICHAEL COLBY

If you hear gleeful giggling from behind the curtain shielding the political elites from the mere masses, you're not alone. There's a party going on and we haven't been invited. It's a presidential election party, where the puppeteers of our democracy are celebrating an upcoming election that they can't lose. It's a contest between two of their own.

George Bush versus John Kerry is a dream ballot for those whom C. Wright Mills called the "power elite," that tight little club of economic, political and military leaders who truly rule the nation. The power elite doesn't care about political party affiliations. That's child's play. In their view, fools line up to vote while the real players decide who's on the ballot. And for some reason we still refer to the whole charade as democracy. The joke's on you.

Bush v. Kerry is simply nirvana for the bluebloods. As they say in the business world: it's a win-win situation. From their perspective, whomever places his hand upon the Bible (yes, the Bible) on January 20, 2005 doesn't matter because with a Bush/Kerry contest they're already assured there will be no meaningful change in America for the next four years. None. Zero. Zippo.

Before the delusional Democrats out there start peppering me with hostile emails about the absolute necessity of getting "anybody but Bush" in the White House, just stop yourselves long enough to consider these facts: Kerry supported Bush's war on Iraq; Kerry supported Bush's tax cuts; Kerry hasn't proposed one major social or environmental initiative in over 20 years in the U.S. Senate; Kerry hasn't put forward any meaningful policy initiatives in his campaign for the presidency regarding jobs or healthcare. Kerry's campaign seems to be all about proving that he qualifies as "anybody but Bush." And all that takes
is a pulse.

Bush and Kerry are also, of course, both proud military men. Bush took the easy way out of the Vietnam War by joining the National Guard - whether he showed up or not is another matter. Kerry, as he's so fond of telling us, served his country by running gunboats up and down the rivers of Vietnam. Brace yourselves, folks, because the Bush/Kerry contest will be filled with assertions and accusations about who loves the military more.

Kerry is really confusing on the issue of the military, too. Before pro-military audiences, Kerry trots out his military medals (three Purple Hearts!) and talks tough about his "duty and service" to the nation. But then he'll stand before the Dean Democrats and talk about how he led the anti-war movement when he got home. Well, John, what's it going to be: duty and service or conscientious objections?

It's this kind of double talk that has littered the political career of John Kerry. He's always hanging around talking out of both sides of his mouth until it's safe to actually pick a side - and then only if he's forced to. Kerry doesn't need Botox injections; he needs a spinal transplant.

Then consider Kerry's oft-quoted attacks on "special interests." Apparently, his special interests are holier than Bush's special interests. The truth, of course, is that they share many of the same special interests, all to the detriment of we, the non-special people.

While it pains me to invoke the words of David Brooks, a conservative columnist at The New York Times, he did sufficiently lampoon Kerry's rhetoric on special interests in a recently published column entitled "Kerry's Special Friends." After detailing many of Kerry's special favors to the high and mighty, Brooks concludes as follows:

"You just ask David Paul, one of the big figures in the savings and loan scandal, if Kerry didn't make him feel special. You just ask the high-tech executive Bob Majumder how special Kerry made him feel, at least until Majumder was charged with 40 counts of conspiracy, witness tampering, fraud, tax evasion and illegal campaign contributions. You just ask the law firms, the brokerage houses, the oil companies, the <H.M.O>.'s and the drug companies, which have donated tens of thousands of dollars to Kerry.

"Oh, he sometimes pretends that he doesn't care about our special interests. He puts on that callous populist facade. But deep down he cares. Maybe he cares too much. When he's out on the stump saying otherwise, he's just being a big old phony."

Of the many similarities between the patricians Bush and Kerry, there's nothing more disturbing than their membership in the super-secret and super-elite Skull & Bones club at Yale University. The fact that both men are members of this club and neither is willing to spill the beans on any of its internal secrets and favors should speak volumes about the apparent "choice" this nation is being offered on the November ballot.

"America is about to choose between two presidential candidates," writes Sam Smith, editor of the indispensable Progressive Review (<www.prorev.com>), "who belonged to an organization whose values were infantile, elitist, misogynist, anti-democratic and secret and whose purposes include the mutual support and protection of its members as they make their into the upper ranks of American society and throughout their adult lives. Far from apologizing for this, the two candidates refuse to give open and honest answers about their participation. Further, at least one of the candidates, Kerry, has retained a close enough relationship to the organization to have sought new members from among his young acquaintances."

If Bush v. Kerry is truly the choice being offered to the nation in November, we don't even have to wait for the voting to begin in order to declare the winner. This nation's power elites are not only poised for yet another victory, but they're thrilled by the prospects of four more years of calm, non-threatening waters from which they float their political boats.

Sounds too much like a choice between Tweedledee and Tweedledum for comfort, doesn't it?  Will we EVER get a prexy who wasn't a member of the skull & bonz 'sorority'???  Michael Colby is the editor of Wild Matters. He can be reached at: mcolby@wildmatters.org and be sure to check out his website, http://www.wildmatters.org.  It's another "one of those" very good sites critiquing the emperor's wardrobe (hint:  it's missing).  Tomorrow's message here will be good stuff based on 72 names of God.

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:31 | link | comments

Friday, February 20, 2004

"Is our children learning?"  is the title of a book, the case against prezident george w. bush by paul begala that i'm just now getting around to reading...  and it's a hoot.  And, it's as timely now as it was in '00 -- as we blunder toward this next presidential election with all the glee of the last nite on the titanic -- politics under bushie really is a lot like an iceberg, you know -- we only see the l0% that's ABOVE the water line and it's the other 90% that is hidden from view that is hurting our once great nation, destroying our freedoms -- how 'free' can you be when you can't afford health care or decent housing???

Guess we'll have what Jay Leno termed the "wizard of oz ticket again -- cheney needs a heart and bush needs a brain" (7/25/00)

Here's a pop quiz from the book:  which of these medical maladies has dick cheney NOT had:

1.  a heart attack
2.  another heart attack
3.  a third heart attack
4.  open-heart surgery and quadruple bypass surgery
5.  cancer
6.  gout
7.  an allergic reaction to a pomegranate that nearly killed him
8.  the heartbreak of psoriasis

If you guessed no. 8, you're the lucky winner.  This guy doesn't need to be veep of Angola, let alone America -- he needs to be on E.R.  What if bushie really DID choke on another pretzel or fell off the couch with no one to pick him up, again?

Bushie's spin-miesters will no doubt try to do a better job this go-round with his speeches than the first time to keep that golden foot outta his mouth, but some malapropisms will still slip by -- i hope enough to give begala fodder for vol II. Bushie will go down in history for many things:   taking us to war when we had not been first attacked, glutting a budget surplus, creating the biggest federal deficit in history, shipping u.s. jobs offshore, and rolling back 50 years of hard-won environmental protection legislation -- and then mis-speaking (would that be like LYING ??) about all the foregoing and more, often by merely using the 'nearly-right words'. 

As Mark Twain said, "the difference between the right word and the nearly-right word is the difference between a lightening bolt and a lightening bug."   So, make some popcorn, put your feet up, and watch as the pfun and games begin to "elect" (sic) our next leader ~!  Doncha just know that if there ARE any E.T.'s out there watching all this mess they are hurting themselves laughing so hard at all this???

posted by ladywolfsong, 06:18 | link | comments

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

GONE, but not forgotten...   I was away a few days -- my lil war pony 'died' in parking lot of motel in nearby 'city' where i went for a wedding sat nite -- had a good time at the event, but NOT good having car refuse to leave the parking lot til monday morning ~!  Stayed over til "problemo" found and hopefully solved Tuesday and endured being a 'captive audience' for a so-called friend who is in training, at age 68, to be a "little ole lady" -- hell, i won't be a 'lil ole lady' for another 10 or l5 years, despite my tennis shoes ~!  That one talked non-stop, in whispering, low conspiratorial tones, which i had a hard time HEARING, without allowing me to interject a word in edgewise -- talk about something worse than solitary confinement ~!   So much for being a 'house guest' -- NEVER AGAIN ~!  But, we're home again, all is well, and i'm back blogging, barely -- below are a few good connections to some enlightening stuff.  More from this side later.

WAR: - http://tvnewslies.org/html/news.html#WAR

    * Iraq bomb blast kills US soldier
  *** Taliban commander vows to fight on
    * Handover too much for battered forces
    * Kurds Return, Arabs Flee, as a Mass Migration Redraws
      the Map of Northern Iraq
    * Iraqis demand US pension rise to match salary hikes
    * Fatal Blast in Baghdad Schoolyard
    * TVNL Replay: Dr' Bush's Botched Surgery
    * Four humanitarian workers slain in Taliban ambush
    * Iraq Bombings Kill Two U.S. Soldiers
   
ECONOMY: http://tvnewslies.org/html/news.html#USECONOMY

    * Siemens software jobs moving to India, China and Eastern Europe

posted by ladywolfsong, 09:07 | link | comments

Saturday, February 14, 2004

CAUTION ~!  Spinmeisters at work.  Pot now calling kettle (kerry) black ~! ...

Further straining the already tenuous bounds of credulity, the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign has unleashed campaign ads attacking Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee for President, as being "brought to you by special interests." (aka the RNC)

If you aren't on the ground rolling with laughter already, the specific charge is that Sen. Kerry, who is campaigning to rid Washington of special interest influence, accepted $640,000 from lobbyists since 1989. While true, what the ad neglects to mention is that President Bush has himself raised $960,000 from lobbyists - in just 2003.

Even more troubling, Bush has raised at least $6.5 million in contributions bundled by Washington influence peddlers, who are among his top fundraisers. Over 53 of the Bush campaign's elite fundraisers - known as Pioneers if they bundle at least $100,000, and Rangers if they bundle $200,000 - are registered lobbyists.

To keep the record on special interest money straight, and to push for clean money elections, we urge you to email a quick letter to the editor of your local newspaper. You can do this easily by visiting the following web address:
http://action.citizen.org/pc/issues/alert/?alertid=5091271&type=ME

Please refer your friends, family and colleague to this information/website. If you would like more information about Public Citizen, please visit http://www.citizen.org

Ever been to a cattle auction?  I have, and that's what this political season reminds me of.  We no longer have "elections" -0- we're holding an "auction".  I won't be here manana -- going to a wedding this evening -- wish it was mine -- folks i've known 35 years. He's 71, she's late 50's-early 60's.  Guess it proves love can bloom at any age.  Anyone know any good, "mature", single,  Jewish man looking for a good woman?  Send him my way.  I'm seriously considering converting -- and am getting a lot from studying the kabbalah -- it resonnates well and I figure you should go where you're (spiritually) fed and pay the fiddler whose music you dance to.

Back to politics, since Kerry will BE run (no slip of the dyslexic tongue there) on his record, check it out for youself at:  http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=S0421103, along with anyone else's record you want to take a peek at.

Happy Valentine's Day to all -- eat lots of semi-sweet chocolate and you'll be happy whether you have a lover or not.

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:11 | link | comments

Friday, February 13, 2004

"Read all about it ~!" -- My autobiography, Scaling the Slippery Slope -- One Woman's Odyssey from Alcoholism to Longterm Sobriety,  is now available, as an eBook at: http://www.booklocker.com/books/1493.html.  244 affordable pages.  May be out in paperback this spring.

MEET YOUR NEXT LEADER... (if bush gets the boot)

They'll Never Call Him a Radical (or Even an Alternative) -- The Many Faces of John Kerry
By ELIZABETH SCHULTE

"A man defined by inner conflicts."  That’s how the Boston Globe described John Kerry in a five-part series in June 2003. "The gung-ho Vietnam hero turned articulate antiwar protester; the shaggy-haired liberal rebel turned feisty prosecutor; a politician whose core beliefs included a skeptical view of government," wrote the Globe.

Sounds familiar? Someone wrote a book about it in the 1800s--it’s called Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. During his 19 years as a career politician and Washington insider, Kerry has never let a little thing like principle get in his way. He’s made a career out of balancing between the Democratic Party’s conservative and the liberal wings.

That’s why, last week in Greenville, S.C., Kerry declared that he was going to "hold Bush accountable" for the war in Iraq. But just as easily, he could boast to his Republican critics, "I have voted for the largest defense budgets in the history of our country." Kerry has taken several liberal positions during his career, only to take them back years later due to "things that I’ve learned since then."  READ the unabridged version of this article on Mr. Fllip-Flop at:  http://www.counterpunch.org/

Guess if we get him and then decide we don't LIKE Kerry we can all boycott Heinz katsup for 4 years?  I read somewhere once that generic and name-brand condiments ALL have to have/use the same ingredients, so generic mayo, katsup and mustard are all the same - just different labels and maybe proportions of identical ingredients.

For more on "Cash and Kerry" see:  http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,6903,1130604,00.html

This dog don't hunt...  Michael Moore just won't let poor G.W.'s service record "rest".  Like a dog working a bone, or, in my case, a goat wallowing out a hole in the fence, he just keeps on at it.  He has seven "talking points", first one below.  What I'd like to see is a two-man face-off between Bush and Moore.

1. How were you able to jump ahead of 500 other applicants to get into the Texas Air National Guard, thus guaranteeing you would not have to go to Vietnam? What calls did your father (who was then a United States Congressman representing Texas) make on your behalf for you to get this assignment?

for the rest, go to:  www.michaelmoore.com

posted by ladywolfsong, 05:53 | link | comments (1)

Thursday, February 12, 2004

DON'T miss this one:   http://www.takebackthemedia.com/bushnonazi.html  Just be sure your ense of humor is well-oiled and few grains of salt are nearby.

What is OBSCENITY???? Janet Jackson may have caused us to ask this question, but i don't think those pinheads inside the beltway are anywhere near finding the answer -- it's too close to home for them -- the good ole boys can't spot the tree for the forest getting in the way.

OBSCENITY isn't j. jackson's titty out in the open -- it IS unaffordable health care in this country

It is not seeing her bossom on teevee -- it IS sending young men and women to be targets in a humvee and die on the sands of Iraq for personal revenge (they tried to kill his "pappy") and for corporate profit (can you say Halliburton?)

It is not showing her boob -- it IS having a boob in the white house who shows no regard for destroying our environment, eroding our air and water, and rolling back 50 years of legislation set in place TO protect OUR environment.

It is not "adult content" during a football game, aired on the public airwaves -- it IS not having adequate content in our underfunded schools to educate thinking, reasoning adults and trying to privatize public education

I've run out of anatomical analogies, but OBSCENITY is much more... It is:

-- fostering dependence on Wal Mart and putting small stores out of business
-- giving huge corporate handouts to energy companies but not pulling out the stops to develop alternative, less or unpolluting forms of energy
-- cutting back on HUD housing starts while the population of homeless, poor, disabled and elderly (the baby boom generation comes to mind here) is growing at a hefty rate
-- it is wanting to throw gazillions of dollars at going to Mars (solely election rhetoric) before taking care of business here at home . so long as ONE American wants a job WITH A LIVING WAGE ABOVE THE POVERTY LEVEL, and is unemployed, sleeps on a sidewalk or dens up in the outback of Oregon (homeless vets), can't afford to see a doctor or pay for "tests" (in my case, ME), or is turned out of school unable to read past a 4th grade level, so long as the water isn't fit to drink in big cities, the roads and bridges are crumbling from lack of repair, or there is ONE animal on the endangered species list in this country, we haven't finished job 1 and mars talk is pure malarkey.
-- it is lumping anti-war and anti-trade agreement protestors in with "terrorists" and worse, jailing THEM under the so-called "patiot" (sic) act
-- it is seeing manufacturing and white collar jobs flow out of this country to India, China, et al along with corporate capital being stashed in offshore "tax havens" and calling this a "good thing"
-- it is slashing taxes for the richest 1% of amerikans, lying to us all about non-existent WMD's and trying to gloss over such insanities
-- it IS sitting idly by, chomping pretzels while the rug got pulled out from under thousands of workers who lost their pensions and profit sharing plans, by Enron, Global Crossing, et al and the CEO's were neither condemned nor convicted but walked

Now THAT is what obscenity IS, in a nutshell ~!

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:31 | link | comments (1)

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

Factoid of the day:  61% of US workers say they received no meaningful rewards or recognition for their efforts last year.  71% of workers consider themselves "disengaged" -- clockwatchers who can't wait to go home.  The Wall Street Journal/Gallup Poll.  At least this sizeable body of malcontents still HAVE jobs to go home FROM, setting them apart from the few million who lost their source of income since the bushies invaded the beltway. 

BUSH ENDORSES U.S. JOBS MOVING OVERSEAS ~!!!

GW talking about economic recovery and job creation is a lot like having a tractor stuck in the mud in front of your house and calling it "lawn art".  On last Labor Day,  President Bush said, "I want people to understand that when somebody wants to work and can't find a job, it says we've got a problem in America that we're going to deal with. We want everybody in this country working." But yesterday, President Bush directly contradicted himself, releasing a report which "supports the shift of U.S. jobs overseas." When asked about the report and how it contradicts the president's supposed concern about job losses, the president's top economic adviser said, "Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade."

With more than two million jobs lost since President Bush took office, newspaper headlines across the country told readers of the White House's new support for the practice of wealthy corporations eliminating U.S. jobs and shipping them to lower-wage countries. The Seattle Times headline read, "Bush report: Sending jobs overseas helps U.S." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said, "Bush Economic Report Praises 'Outsourcing' Jobs" and the Arizona Republic said, "Bush Report Lauds 'Outsourcing' Jobs."

And while this may be troubling to the millions in the United States who are out of work and suffering from stagnating wages, it was celebrated in India, where thousands of good paying, white-collar U.S. jobs have moved. The headlines in India read, "Bush Aides: Outsourcing win-win for India." The story said the Administration believes exporting jobs to India and other
lower-wage countries "is a win-win for both exporter and importer" - failing to explain how this is a win for American workers who the president just months ago purported to care about. Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion.   http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1342965&l=17561

Will Kerry keep his Big 'MO'?  Last nite Kerry, in his 'I-won-it-again' speech, declared he was anti Benedict Arnold corporations who moved their assets and jobs offshore or to foreign countries -- but didn't he vote FOR Clinton's NAFTA legislation???  Guess he'll want DO-OVERS about a lotta stuff before it's all over -- like his vote FOR the Iraq war.  While he IS better than bushie -- my dog would be, too -- and i'll vote for him -- i'd vote for ABB -- anybody but bush -- that's not saying much.  Sorta like a pogo stick is a better mode of transportation than walking -- sure is, but a new Saab is better, still.

Too bad Dr. Dean just wasn't ready for prime time -- running a state of 600,000 is equivalent of being Mayor of Albuquerque or Las Vegas back in 1989 -- same approx. population density.  Besides, he's looking more and more like Kuchinish's evil twin.   

posted by ladywolfsong, 06:24 | link | comments

Tuesday, February 10, 2004

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:30 | link | comments (1)

So did he or DIDN'T HE????  go AWOL from the air nat'l guard, that is???  And how many guys/gals serving in Nam would have liked to have 'worked a deal' with the military to shave 8 months off time served to get on with attending college??? Don't tell ME Bubba Bush is living in the 'real' world.  Although i refused to watch his sunday am visit w/ russert, snippets of it couldn't be avoided and the portions i saw just revealed more of a man who can't think quickly, who talks in sound-bites, whether they apply or not, and who fumble-mumbles for his words ~!

My favorite new word:  fungible ~!  Often used as a legal term, meaning something that is exchangeable or substitutible for another of like value.  Surely bushie's service record (pay slips anyway) are STILL on file with the military and/or IRS -- simply suponea them ~!!  I seriously doubt all said records have been expunged or redacted (blacked out) prior 1980.  Of course, in his case, HIS records might well be 'fungible' -- whatcha wanna bet they're in the back room at the pentagon right now, making him up some new "records" of record since he's catching heat finally on this one?

From the daily mis-leader... When questions were asked in 2000 about the issue, "Bush refused to be interviewed on the topic." That same year, Senators Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and Daniel Inouye (D-HI) - both distinguished war heroes - "called on Bush to release his full military record to resolve doubts" about his record, but they were rebuffed.

Almost three years later, those same calls continue to go unheeded. As reported by the Washington Post, Bush last week "did not release new information to clear up questions about a one-year gap in the public record of Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard during the Vietnam War." Today the Post reports that payroll records and Bush's annual "point summary" from the time should definitively prove whether Bush did show up for duty, but "neither has been released so far" by Bush.  Additionally, a 2000 FOIA request for Bush's military records withheld certain documents.
(http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1342965&l=17347
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1342965&l=17348 )

While Bush falsely claimed to have released all records and now says he will cooperate with inquiries, he has simultaneously dispatched aides to attack those demanding answers. Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot said "To suggest...that the military should 'answer questions' about President Bush's honorable discharge is an outrage." Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion.   http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1342965&l=17349

I say to Racicot, get ready to be outraged -- the American people are ~!  Quote of the day:  "The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth".  --  H.L. Mencken, quoted in Salon.com  But that was pre the bushie stay in D.C. Hopefully we've grown up enough, as a people, to be able to both want AND stand the truth for a change.

How does a "Kerry-Clark" in '04 sound as a ticket?   We'd have the north and the south covered and not one but TWO guys who know 'sic 'em' from 'come 'ere' and could give bushie and lon-boy cheney a run and a half ~!  I'd just double-dare Heir Karl Rove to try and swipe any votes out from under THEIR noses ~!

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:29 | link | comments (1)

Monday, February 09, 2004

Truth Is the Oxygen of Democracy

Tell Congress to Censure Bush for Misleading Us about the Iraq War

President Bush talks a lot about how America should defend democracy. But his own actions at home have been inconsistent with the basic requirement of a functional democracy-that elected leaders be direct and honest with citizens.

It is now clear that the Bush administration repeatedly misled us and lied to us in the president's buildup to attacking Iraq.

In the name of truly defending our country, TrueMajority is joining with MoveOn.org, Working Assets and other groups, and is calling on Congress to defend our democracy and censure President Bush. Our organizations will be holding a joint news conference in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, February 10, to announce the campaign for censure. If you take action now, we'll count you among the hundreds of thousands of Americans asking for censure.

If you'd like to customize the message to your Senators and Representative, click here:
http://action.truemajority.com/index.asp?action=10133&ms=cen1&ref=378544

For more information about the President's record of misleading and lying about the Iraq war and other issues, visit www.misleader.org, sponsored by MoveOn.org, or www.house.gov/appropriations_democrats/caughtonfilm.htm, produced by the House Appropriations Committee Democrats.

posted by ladywolfsong, 06:21 | link | comments

Sunday, February 08, 2004

posted by ladywolfsong, 08:13 | link | comments

Saturday, February 07, 2004

Remember 'Voo-doo" Economics??? I do -- seems "like father, like son" all over again.   Bush Administration's tax cuts falling short in job creation   The Bush Administration called the tax cut package, which was passed in May 2003 and took effect in July 2003, its "Jobs and Growth Plan." The president's economics staff, the Council of Economic Advisers (see background documents), projected that the plan would result in the creation of 5.5 million jobs by the end of 2004 — 306,000 new jobs each month, starting in July 2003. Although jobs increased by 112,000 in the month of January 2004, the "Jobs and Growth Plan" still fell 194,000 jobs short of the administration's projection. (Actually, job gains in the month of January were less than 30,000 once seasonal adjustment problems for retail hiring and strike effects are removed.) The administration projected that a total of 2,142,000 jobs would be created in the first seven months after the tax cuts took effect. In fact, only 296,000 jobs were created over that period for a cumulative shortfall of 1,846,000 jobs. (from:  www.ourfuture.org and www.jobwatch.org)

Bill Moyers "NOW" on pbs last nite did a good little piece on a small, pop. 8000 town, where Electrolux, swiss-owned now, was closing refrigerator manufacturing plant (2000 jobs) and moving to Mexico to pay $l.50/hour vs. $l5.00/hour in the U.S.  Seems rather short-sighted to me, since Messicans won't be buying any refrigerators on paltry pay, and americans won't be buying very many on their short-term unemployment benefits -- what am i missing here in the grand scheme of things?

But we got PLENTY of debt to hand our offsping's chilluns for Bush's war:  $99 BILLION and counting -- by the time you read this or go to http://costofwar.com/  it will have topped a TRILLION $$$.  Check this site out for comparison to just HOW BETTER this public funding could have been used for education, health or public housing -- all those "frivolous' social programs bushie is opposed to and wants to privatize, or have churches pick up the tab for so YOUR (our) tax dollars can go to war toys and Mars trips ~!  Does this make any sense?  I think not.  War affects everyone, not just those directly involved in the fighting. This webpage is a simple attempt to demonstrate one of the more quantifiable effects of war: the financial burden it places on our tax dollars

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."  President Dwight D. Eisenhower, April 16, 1953

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:38 | link | comments

Friday, February 06, 2004

MARK YOUR CALENDAR NOW ~!!  WORLDWIDE ANTIWAR PROTESTS SET FOR MARCH 20
"Not one more day, Not one more death, Not one more dollar." Protests of the Iraq war and occupation are set for March 20 in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and other cities around the world to mark the first anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

The Global Day of Action Against War and Occupation should be a massive event that shows that popular opinion is as strongly against the war in Iraq today as it was when massive numbers demonstrated all over the world last Feb. 15. Don't let the election season go by without reminding every presidential candidate that an international majority is opposed to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Help organize. Contact www.unitedforpeace.com and www.internationalanswer.org.  and see  http://www.war-times.org/issues/15art3.html

I'd just rather EAT MY SHOES....   than 'lawyer up' -- altho i DID attend South Texas College of Law long enough, and play medical paralegal LONG ENOUGH to get real testy when backed into a corner -- and so far, i'm 4:0 in representing myself, 3 in J.P. court and one involving Federal Education law w/ local school district conflict -- 4 wins, NO loses, to date ~!!!  Of course, i'm such a lousy loser, and SOOOoooo opposed to conflict, that i won't 'go there' unless i'm pretty sure i'm holding a winning hand ~!

Push has finally come to shove in my establishing legal protection for ME to provide 24/7 care for my 21-yo disabled daughter without having the "authorities" pull the rug out from under me -- towit, getting General Durable Power of Attorney signed and on file at county courthouse and then moving on to permanent guardianship -- thank goodness for forms available on the internet ~!  Back when i was "practicing without a license", i'd built up a pretty danged good "form file" for doing wills and divorces on the Q.T (*pro bono).

In law school, they don't teach you squat about practicing law, or even finding the right court house -- that's all done IN a law firm, and 99.999% of the "practice" is done on the backs of the paralegals and the form files.  For anyone concerned with "doing their own", see coupla good links (below) or for that matter, just comment to me -- if i can point you in the right direction, i'll be glad to, no charge, just for the satisfaction of yanking the establishment's chain ~!

lotsa free info / forms here:   http://www.ilrg.com/forms/powerofattorney-gd/us/tx
then, there's http://www.nolo.com, the motherlode of do-it-yourself lawyering

posted by ladywolfsong, 10:12 | link | comments

Thursday, February 05, 2004

Get yur "Loaded Deck" NOW ~!   You just gotta check this out --  Sick of the war? Tired of Bush's lies? Fed up with the media? Punditman presents The Loaded Deck. They're all here: Joker Bush, Rice, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft and the whole array of neo-cons and media sock puppets. Yes, we found Cheney! The Loaded Deck is the answer to the Pentagon's Iraqi cards. Amusing, subversive and educational, here is an activist tool and party gift wrapped into one. For mailing address and instructions, email me: punditman@punditman.com. Help fight media deception! And remember, your donation helps Punditman expose the most dangerous US administration in history.   I just got my deck in the mail yesterday and can't wait for a poker game ~!  These cards will make an excellent "keepsake" to give to your grandchildren, when you explain how the U.S. Constitution got "set aside", or for your own entertainment whilst sitting out incarceration by Ashcroft.  Just to to http://www.punditman.com -- tell him I sent you ~!

THE STALLER-IN-CHIEF... Bushie wants to wrap up the 9-11 investigation, which he opposed in the FIRST place, post-haste -- by time for spring plantin' -- but when it comes to looking into his "intel" and if it was in error in re: sadaam's WMD program, he wants to stall this til AFTER the fall election (harvest). How come?

A new issue of the national antiwar newspaper, War Times, is hot off the press. The issue features an article about opposition to Bush from those on the front lines: soldiers and their families, and veterans. The issue also contains articles about Why We Must Bring the Troops Home Now, the growing grassroots movement to defend civil liberties, the protests of the unemployed and other workers in Iraq and many others.

War Times, which is written in Spanish and English, is free so it can be widely distributed to you, your families, neighbors, friends and co-workers. If you wish to receive 25 or more copies for free, please contact distribution@war-times.org. The new issue can also be read at www.war-times.org.

"Do-Overs"... Ever wish you could have 'do-overs'? I bet bushie does, in re: that ill-fated state of the union address, his WMD ploy and time in the "air national guard" and a whole lot in between ~! Last fall, i was briefly "involved" with a man i'd known for close to l6 years, and before anything really serious or lasting could be achieved, we'd both let our emotions run away with us, judgment flew out the window and we were both running around in circles... and i ended up slamming the phone down in his ear. My bad. Altho it took me a good three months to get over my "mad", now i have regrets -- hurt my feelings, and i just sulk -- hurt my ego or pride, and i throw things or hang up on you. But i wish i could say "sorry" in person.
(Damn but those crow feathers need some salt ~!)

posted by ladywolfsong, 06:00 | link | comments

Wednesday, February 04, 2004

It's not over... but the fat lady can be heard warming up.  Get the BOTOX at the ready.  As noted here a few weeks back, I really DO suspect J. Kerry is gonna walk off w/ the Dem nom.  From the reporting I feel asleep in midst of last nite (on msnbc & cnn), it appears the press is appointing Kerry with their verbiage used in "reporting", and they are spoiling for a big fight come November. 

BUT CAN KERRY whup bushie???  Maybe -- maybe not.  No doubt he could "rule" if given the chance, but he's gotta lot to overcome -- namely, he is NOT "comely" (like the Breck girl, J. Edwards), he IS RICH, privileged and patrician (so what does HE know about "jobs?") and there will be those electronic voting ballots to consider (prevent hacking into).  I dunno.  A lotta folks are sure steamed at bushie.

AHEAD OF THE CURVE...  I was ahead of the curve on this one -- now ALL the "alt.com" websites are jumping on climate change poop. Towit:  Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:30:11 -0500     THIS is the real terror...

While George The Lesser looks to Mars, and Chancellor Cheney looks to his and his pals wallets, and Ashcroft looks up your ass, and Rumsfeld looks in the mirror, there IS a REAL THREAT that requires all the might of a World Superpower.

Pogo had it right:  The enemy is US.

George Bush is incredibly close to being the NERO of our times.  Famous for centuries hereafter as the idiot who golfed while the Earth Burned.  THIS is the one unassailable organizing principle for all of the Opposition. We must take this as our profound global battle cry, the banner under which we can ALL march.

If Dissent is splintered, parochial, ineffectively scattered and unfocused- HERE is the single global issue which can give us the cohesive message -- that we can stand for, and that the American Electorate will support. And that bring us all together, and as one with the mass of the voters, regardless of geography, color or class. The Busheviks have blown this one, and what we need to do is jump on it, and make this issue OURS.

http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/9882>http://www.tompaine.com/featur
e2.cfm/ID/9882

"...This extraordinary act by a senior Defense Department official implies high-level recognition that the Bush administration's resistance to the near global consensus on climate change­ a consensus that includes the vast ajority of the scientific community, many corporations including General Motors, Alcoa, IBM, Dupont, DuPont, Johnson & Johnson, and all the remaining governments of the OECD­is a threat to national security itself.  Indeed, last month in the journal Science, the United Kingdom's Chief Scientific Advisor declared that "climate change is the most severe problem that we are facing today­more serious even than the threat of terrorism..."

Climate Change Alert  2a61367.jpg Patrick Doherty spent a decade in the field of international conflict
resolution, working in the Middle East, Africa, Southeastern Europe and the Caucasus. First Paul O'Neill, now Andrew Marshall. Marshall has just blown the lid off another Bush administration can of worms­namely, its unwillingness to
acknowledge and address the massive threat posed by global climate change."
 

posted by ladywolfsong, 08:41 | link | comments (2)

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Poor Bushie...  can't talk (straight), read (much), think (for himself) and can't count too well, either.  What was billed as the great Medicare make-over, costing around $400 bil turns out to have a $530 bil tab -- great deal for Big Pharma, but doesn't help seniors get cheaper legal drugs from Canada OR have competitive bidding by the guv mint on same.

As for his gargantuan budget just signed, in order to NOT waste YOUR tax dollars, only 1/2 of 1% "increase" will go to frivolous things like the environment, clean air or water, rennovating schools or our national parks -- don't wanna waste the public's money on public good works -- instead, it will go to war toys (ok for Halliburton subsidiary to charge three times for every one meal served to troops in Iraq).  Whadda guy.  Bushie's mum must surely be proud.  For more, see...

THE DAILY MIS-LEAD  http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1342965&l=16387

BUSH'S ECONOMIC OPTIMISM BELIED BY DEFICITS, UNEMPLOYED

Visiting New Hampshire recently, President Bush argued on behalf of making his tax cuts permanent, saying, "government has got plenty of money."   But in Washington, the White House announced that the Medicare law signed six weeks ago would cost 35% more than indicated.  White House officials have maintained the $134 billion increased estimate was understandable and relatively close." (just try paying a $48.00 gas bill with a check for $30.00, write "paid in full" on it and tell the gas co. it's "relatively close")

The president also said yesterday that the government needs "needs to stay focused and principled."  But the administration's budget, to be unveiled next week, is expected to produce a $520 billion deficit, about $150 billion more than the deficit for 2003. (so much for fiscal conservatism -- the dems should do so well ~! )

President Bush hasn't yet articulated how he'll successfully "cut the deficit in half over the next five years,"  other than being "wise with the people's money," as announced in his State of the Union.  The White House has already announced an increase in spending for homeland security by 9.7%, a 7% increase for defense spending, and is stumping hard to make his tax
cuts permanent, an additional cost of $2 trillion over ten years, according to the non-partisan Brookings Institution.

The president spent much time yesterday claiming his tax cuts were successful and fair,  "as opposed to trying to pick or choose winners in the political debate."   All analyses, however, show that the top 1% received almost half of the president's tax cuts, even though that group pays only 21 percent of federal taxes.

The Washington Post characterized Bush's speech as an "economic pep talk,"  in which the president lauded his tax cuts and an improving economy.  Bush said his tax cuts were "working.  People are finding work." (yup, in Bejing and New Deli/Delhi)  However, the Post also reported on the facing page of Bush's speech, that a record number of jobless workers, 375,000, will exhaust their unemployment benefits tomorrow, the highest number ever recorded for a single month (and Bushie opposed extending time for drawing unemployment benefits -- gotta be "cautious" with the people's money).

Visit Misleader.org for more about Bush Administration distortion.
< http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=1342965&l=16388 >
Subscribe to the Daily Mislead! Go to http://www.misleader.org and enter your e-mail address in the "Receive the Daily Mislead" box in the top-left corner of the page.

posted by ladywolfsong, 07:36 | link | comments (2)

Monday, February 02, 2004

Check out new blog by a friend, News and Views you don't have to Lose at www.newsandviewslose.motime.com

Dickie, you got a lotta 'splainin' to do...  “The Cheney report is very guarded about the amount of foreign oil that will be required. The only clue provided by the [public] report is a chart of net US oil consumption and production over time. According to this illustration, domestic oil field production will decline from about 8.5 million barrels per day (mbd) in 2002 to 7.0 mbd in 2020, while consumption will jump from 19.5 mbd to 25.5 mbd. That suggests imports or other sources of petroleum… will have to rise from 11 mbd to 18.5 mbd. Most of the recommendations of the NEP [National Energy Policy, May 2001] are aimed at procuring this 7.5 mbd increment, equivalent to the total oil consumed by China and India .

  -- Professor Michael Klare
“Bush-Cheney Energy Strategy: Procuring the Rest of the World's Oil”
Foreign Policy in Focus, January 2004

“Bush and Blair have been making plans for the day when oil production peaks, by seeking to secure the reserves of other nations.”

-- George Monbiot
“Bottom of the Barrel”
The Guardian, December 2, 2003

When, in May 2001, the conservative legal watchdog group Judicial Watch filed suit to see the records of Dick Cheney's National Energy Policy Development Group (NEPDG), it was the first to protest the unheard of secrecy at the energy task force. As the White House stonewalled, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) filed suit the following February.
Congress had, after all, funded the project. Non-governmental officials had played major roles in its deliberations and, under the Constitution, the GAO had an obligation to see how the money was spent and what was produced.  White House refusals prompted media speculation about deals with Enron and big oil companies; a divvying of spoils, a rape of the environment. Judicial Watch was later joined in its suit by the Sierra Club. A scandal for everyone!

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/013004_in_your_face.html

Sixty per cent of all the recoverable oil on the planet is in an area no larger than the state of Indiana .  It just isn't in Texas or Oklahoma or even Alaska, and it just happens to have a whole buncha pesky Muslims squattin' on top of it ~!  Go figure.

all Iraqi oil fields (11% of world supply
all Saudi Arabian oil fields (25% of world supply);
all the oil fields in the United Arab Emirates (8% of world supply);
The documents may be viewed online at:
http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.c_.shtml .

The Persian Gulf (rather than the Gulf of Mexico) is home to 60% of all the recoverable oil on the planet. Not only would these oil fields have to be controlled, billions of dollars in new investment would be required to boost production to meet US needs, simultaneously denying that same production to the rest of the world where demand is also soaring.

 Ergo, Gulf War II -- oh well, what's one dead soldier per day (more or less) vs. having gas for the SUV at home?

The world uses a billion barrels of oil every eleven and one half days and the rate of consumption is growing. There is, at best, 500-600 billion barrels in the Gulf, which can only be pumped if the investment is made over the next ten years and begun immediately.

Do the math.

http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/013004_in_your_face.html

posted by ladywolfsong, 06:45 | link | comments

Sunday, February 01, 2004