Saturday, November 20, 2004
Thanksgiving 2003
Fake turkey, fake soldier, fake president, fake victory.
Remember last year when the President triumphally snuck in to Iraq in the dead of night to deliver fiberglass turkey?
Think he'll be back this year?
posted by Green Voicemail 11/20/2004 05:17:00 PM
Friday, November 19, 2004
Prince William: "I Would Face Front Line (in Iraq)"
If he joins, he intends to serve alongside the troops.
From BBC News :
Prince William has said that if he joins the Army when he finishes St Andrews University he would not shirk fighting at the front line.
"The last thing I want to do is be mollycoddled or wrapped up in cotton wool," the 22-year-old said.
Incredible. Prince William is more macho than George W. Bush. Who ever said George W. Bush ever put himself in harm's way? (Although rumor has it that during a party at the Texas Air National Guard, he hurled himself on a can of Coors that had been shaken too much.)
posted by Green Voicemail 11/19/2004 03:18:00 PM
Left Wing Offense
By now, infuriated conservatives are screaming. "Enough with the America bashing! Bring me the football picks!"
Last week, we only did slightly better than random chance, going 8-6 to bring our yearly record up to 59-39. Alright, you greedy bastards. Here you go.
CAROLINA over Arizona
BALTIMORE over Dallas
Denver over NEW ORLEANS
MINNESOTA over Detroit
Indianapolis over CHICAGO
NY Jets over CLEVELAND
Pittsburgh over CINCINNATI
TAMPA BAY over San Francisco
BUFFALO over St. Louis
JACKSONVILLE over Tennessee
SEATTLE over Miami
San Diego over OAKLAND
NY GIANTS over Atlanta
PHILADELPHIA over Washington
HOUSTON over Green Bay
No WTF? pick this week either. Just good teams beating bad ones. And, no, I don't consider NY over Atlanta a "WTF?"
posted by Green Voicemail 11/19/2004 02:37:00 PM
What Your News Won't Show You
This is just the part they show you on TV.
From ABC News :
BAGHDAD, Iraq Nov 19, 2004 — Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. soldiers, stormed one of the major Sunni Muslim mosques in Baghdad after Friday prayers, opening fire and killing at least three people, witnesses said. In the battle for control of Mosul, Iraqi forces raided several areas overnight, killing 15 insurgents, Iraqi and U.S. military officials said.
At least 13 other insurgents were captured in Mosul, authorities said.
About 40 people were arrested at the Abu Hanifa mosque in the capital's northwestern Azamiyah neighborhood, said the witnesses, who were members of the congregation. Another five people were wounded.
...
Abu Hanifa mosque has long been associated with anti-American agitation and support for the former regime. Saddam Hussein was seen in the area as the city fell to American forces in April 2003, and U.S. Marines battled Saddam loyalists around the mosque on April 10, 2003, the day after the ousted ruler's statue was hauled down in Firdous Square.
Shot by Iraqis? Or shot by US Troops? I'm sure we'll never know. Undoubtedly, the media's "research" consisted of making a call to the Pentagon, "and if the Pentagon said it's true, it's good enough for me!!"
You can actually SEE the raid, although you have to go to overseas media to see it (why am I not surprised?) -- here are the links:
Explanatory Link 1 , Video Link 1
Explanatory Link 2 , Video Link 2
Explanatory Link 3 , Video Link 3
Be warned. The videos are disturbing.
However, our courageous conservative commentators are here to set us to right. Take, for example, this conclusion to "Liberal Media Misrepresents US War in Iraq" , written by North Carolina State's Brian Onorio:
This is all unfortunate. Because the left-wing media will never report the story of a brave Iraqi family risking it all to help save the life of their little girl suffering from blood tumors which have disfigured her face. After searching for help in the Iraqi hospitals, the doctors told the family to take the child home and let her die. The tumors would eventually block her breathing and she would suffocate. Refusing to take his child home to await certain death, the father, remaining anonymous from fear of retribution, took his daughter to the most unlikely of places -- Abu Ghraib.
The soldiers stationed there arranged a way for the father and the child to get to the United States where her condition is completely treatable and where the doctors have given her wonderful chances of living a quality life. She will even receive reconstructive surgery to fix her deformities from the tumors.
Well, hey, we moved heaven and earth to justify an illegal war on Iraq, to virtually carpet-bomb Fallujah, to maim, disfigure, and kill hundreds of Iraqi children, and to torture the innocent at Abu Ghraib (THAT'S why Abu Ghraib is "the most unlikely of places"). As well as several thousands of American innocent bystanders killed.
On the other hand, a little girl got saved, and it only took the American bureaucracy about two months for her to get here. So, by conservative logic, I guess it all balances out in the end, eh?
posted by Green Voicemail 11/19/2004 01:46:00 PM
It Begins....
Boy George's Next Target: "Four More Wars!"
First, from Daily Kos :
A big demonstration just marched down Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington. I'd estimate 2000 people. The signs said : No Nukes for Iran, "no negotiation with the Mullahs." There was also a fake missle on a launcher that said "Dont trust EU"
This demonstration seems oddly timed with Powel's speech yesterday about Iran seeking nukes, which was oddly timed with the EU agreement with Iran.
Also, it is extremely difficult to get a permit to hold a march on Pennsylvania on a Friday.
Without knowing more, I've got to believe that someone powerful in government is trying to create pressure for the US to bomb the Iranian facilities.
In New York, from, of all places, World Net Daily :
American college students are planning to hold the first-ever public protest in the U.S. against Iran's nuclear proliferation this weekend, organizers told WorldNetDaily.
The Iran Action Committee, founded by students at Yeshiva University in New York, is staging a rally in front of the Iranian mission to the United Nations on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. in protest of Iran's rapidly emerging nuclear program. The rally will be the first public protest to deal with the threat of Iranian weapons of mass destruction, and is expected to garner students from other New York area colleges, including Columbia, New York University, City University of New York, and Queens College.
From Sun Network :
In an "eerie" repetition of the prelude to the Iraq war, the New York Times said hawks in the administration and Congress are trumpeting ominous disclosures about Iran's nuclear capacities to make the case that Iran is a threat that must be confronted, either by economic sanctions, military action, or "regime change."
But Britain, France and Germany, the paper noted, are urging diplomacy, placing their hopes in a deal they brokered last week in which Iran agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment programme in return for discussions about future economic benefits.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell thrust himself into the debate on Wednesday by commenting to reporters that fresh intelligence showed that Iran was "actively working" on a programme to enable its missiles to carry nuclear bombs, a development, he said "should be of concern to all parties."
The disclosures alluded to by Powell, the Times said, were seen by hardliners in the administration as another sign of Iranian perfidy, and by Europeans as little new. Although Powell has praised the negotiations between the Europeans and Iran, one administration official was quoted as saying that his comment suggested that there was "a steady tightening of outlook between hawks and doves" that Iran will use the negotiations as a pretext to continue its nuclear programme in private.
From The Miami Herald :
Counterterror specialists look for ''chatter'' in Islamic extremist circles preceding an attack. There is a lot of chatter going on today in Washington -- only this time, it is about an American attack on Iran.
In seminars and hallways, there is eager anticipation of an airstrike against Iran's nuclear facilities. Sure, the talk goes, we may not get all those buried nuclear labs. But a few waves of cruise missiles and bombers will set Iran's program back several years, enough time to pursue regime change in Tehran.
To figure out how it will happen, read Gary Leupp's article at CounterPunch :
1. Select regime to be overthrown.
2. Vilify the regime in public statements, and arrange for critical reporting in the press.
3. Emphasize that the nation is on the State Department's list of "terror sponsoring" states. Stress the authoritative nature of that list; make it impossible for any public figure to speak well of any regime on it.
4. Emphasize that the nation has some type of ties with groups on the State Department's list of "foreign terrorist organizations." Stress the definitive nature of that list too.
5. Conflate whatever terrorist groups the regime assists in any way with al-Qaeda and the 9-11 attacks. Refer generically to "the terrorists," implying that they all work together.
6. Conflate threats to Israel, posed by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, Hizbollah, etc., with threats to the U.S. Homeland.
7. Emphasize the targeted regime's possession of weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, bacteriological) and if it has a nuclear energy program, depict it as a nuclear weapons program threatening the American people.
8. Reiterate the preemption doctrine that the possibility of threats justifies unilateral U.S. action.
9. Obtain Congressional authorization for action against the regime.
10. Obtain, if possible, a UN resolution that might justify military action, or be represented as a justification for regime change.
11. Depict UN resistance to regime change plans as reflecting the body's irrelevance, corruption and obsolescence.
12. Depict longstanding allies' opposition to U.S. imperial expansion as selfish and anti-American.
13. Cultivate new allies willing to assist in regime change.
14. Invade and occupy.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/19/2004 11:36:00 AM
12,000 Troops "Lost" in Fallujah?
From Fallujah, May Day 2003 -- an idle threat, or...?
From TheDay.com , and elsewhere:
Washington -- Senior Marine intelligence officers in Iraq are warning that if U.S. troop levels in the Fallujah area are significantly cut in reconstruction there, as now planned, insurgents in the region will rebound from their defeat.
The rebels could thwart the retraining of Iraqi security forces, intimidate the local population and derail elections to be held in January, the officers say.
....
The pessimistic caution is contained in a seven-page classified report prepared by intelligence officers in the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, or I MEF, last weekend as the offensive in Fallujah was winding down. The assessment was distributed to senior officers in Iraq, where one called it "brutally honest."
A rare bit of brutal honesty indeed. Now that we've got 12,000 soldiers in Fallujah, we can't leave, because if we leave, the anti-US Iraqi forces will return and we'll be back to Square One.
Don't worry. As soon as Boy George gets done "restructuring" the CIA, he'll do the same to Marine Intelligence. The bearers of bad news in the Bush Adminstration will be shot -- figuratively speaking, of course.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/19/2004 10:36:00 AM
Thursday, November 18, 2004
Caption This
...
Everyone is up in arms, including the FCC, about the "steamy" intro to Monday Night Football on November 15, 2004.
My caption:
Terrell: "Britney, I hate to tell you this, but Janet did it better!"
posted by Green Voicemail 11/18/2004 01:41:00 PM
The Soft Carotid Artery
Iraq oil refinery...here today, gone tomorrow?
From the right-wing Iraq Pipeline Watch :
150-153. November 14 - four oil wells set afire in the Khubbaz oilfield west of Kirkuk. The wells had been pumping 10-15,000 bpd of oil a piece.
154. November 15 - blast on oil pipeline from Kirkuk to Ceyhan in Safra 37 miles (50 km) west of Kirkuk.
155. November 15 - gunmen set ablaze a storage depot and pumping station along the oil pipeline to Ceyhan near Ain al Jahish, 60 miles (96 km) south of Mosul.
156. November 15 - explosion at 11pm near Sarai, 47 miles (75 km) west of Kirkuk, on oil pipeline that feeds the Bayji refinery.
157. November 15 - explosion at 11pm near Riyadh, 25 miles (40 km) west of Kirkuk, on gas pipeline that feeds the power station in Bayji.
158. November 17 - blast at 1am on oil pipeline from the Bai Hassan field, 30 miles (42 km) west of Kirkuk, to storage facilities in Dibis, 20 miles (32 km) west of Kirkuk.
159. November 17 - bomb on oil well in Barajwan, 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Kirkuk.
160. November 17 - blast at 8am 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Samarrah on pipeline from Bayji to the Daura refinery in Baghdad.
Despite the (deliberate?) lack of news coming out of Fallujah, sounds like someone's been busy in Iraq.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/18/2004 01:18:00 PM
No Comment
Old file photo suggests Rocco might have been in the Navy.
From StoutDemBlog :
Steve Rocco didn't file a candidate statement or mount a campaign for the school board. He's unknown to teachers and the district and only barely known to his neighbors. Nonetheless, the man being called a "mystery candidate" easily beat an opponent who is active, and relatively well known, in the Orange Unified School District. Now all that's left is to find him.
"Absolutely nobody, but nobody has seen this guy," said Paul Pruss, a middle school teacher and the president of the union. "The whole thing is just bizarre." ...
No one came to the door Friday at Rocco's home southeast of Los Angeles, where he lives with his bedridden parents. The front gate of the house is adorned with a fading Johnny Cash record album cover and 10 small American flags hang in the yard. Neighbors said they see him occasionally, usually on a bicycle. ...
If he shows up to the monthly meetings of the district, Rocco will receive $750 per month. But officials are wondering what they will do if he is as scarce in office as he was during the campaign. ...
Hanna, who has followed local politics for 30 years, dismissed one scenario that has been suggested, that voters chose the non-Hispanic name over Martinez.
"This is just one of the rough edges in our electoral system, where the voters can elect someone they know nothing about," he said.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/18/2004 06:54:00 AM
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
Get Up Stand Up
Michael Shackelford's town proved to be too much for Fred Phelps.
Most people think,
Great God will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!
-- "Get Up Stand Up", Bob Marley
Stolen from Mustang Bobby . Go to his blog and read the story he links to at the Washington Post. It will prove that what politicians say people think and what people really think are two completely different things.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/17/2004 03:46:00 PM
Sovereignty
The new 51-star US flag.
From Xinhuanet , the Chinese News Service:
BAGHDAD, Nov. 16 (Xinhuanet) - US forces arrested on Tuesday the deputy head of Iraq's interim parliament and a high-ranking member of a Sunni political party after a dawn raid on his Baghdad home, spokesman from his party said.
Naseer Ayaef, a senior member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, was arrested in his home in the western Jamiah neighborhood despite he enjoys immunity as the deputy speaker of the national council (parliament), said the spokesman Iyad al-Samarrai.
Al-Samarrai appealed to Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and national council president Fouad Maasum to intervene.
The arrest was linked to pressures exerted on the Iraqi Islamic Party because of its opposition to the military offensive against Fallujah, stressed the spokesman.
So how come the Iraqi government can't arrest its own politicians, no matter how illegal such arrests are? I thought the Iraqis were a sovereign government. Guess not, huh?
posted by Green Voicemail 11/17/2004 01:30:00 PM
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
What Kind of Person...?
...kills a wounded man in a church?
I tell you something. If a member of Al-Qaeda shot a wounded American inside a Baptist church, all you'd hear from the Cementhead Conservatives would be a loud wail. Now, go, tell the Iraqis that we're bringing them freedom.
Read Mykeru .
posted by Green Voicemail 11/16/2004 06:54:00 PM
Green Voicemail Salutes
The rural Alpine County, California sheriff's office
Alpine County, California. Alpine County is located at the eastern "bend" of the state and is the smallest county by population in California. It is in the Sierra Nevada, between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park (according to Wikipedia).
The lifestyle here is very...quaint, to say the least. No high schools, traffic lights or other distractions. Just a lot of fishing, hiking, and other outdoor sports.
The population of Alpine County, California? Twelve hundred. And as I write this, this is exactly the number of American soldiers officially killed in action in Iraq.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/16/2004 06:43:00 PM
Drafting the Volunteers
As the song says, "You're in the Army...forever...."
From The New York Times , via Eschaton :
In Hawaii, David Miyasato, a former enlisted soldier who served in the first gulf war, said he would never go AWOL; he would have gone to Iraq, he said, if need be.
But Mr. Miyasato also said that his eight-year commitment ended nearly a decade ago. After he received his letter calling him back to service, he said, he called the Army repeatedly to argue that he was not eligible. Finally, he said, with his date to report to a base in South Carolina just days away, he contacted a lawyer and filed suit on Nov. 5.
"This was actually my last resort," said Mr. Miyasato, a former truck driver and fuel hauler who said that, at 34, he led an entirely different life, with an 8-month-old daughter and a window-tinting company to run. "I had been calling around everywhere for help."
On Nov. 10, Mr. Miyasato said, he learned that the Army had rescinded his orders.
Let me tell you a story that goes back into the 1980s. They created this thing called "Selective Service", to provide a database of draftable young males. They threatened imprisonment/fines if you didn't sign up.
Some young men decided not to sign up. So the military decided on a "zero tolerance" policy and tried to bring these kids to court. It resulted in so much negative publicity for the military that they gave up.
Now, the military is trying to "draft" out of the Individual Ready Reserve. It states that "cases are handled on an individual bases" and "forty-five percent of the time, the Army decides to release the person from their commitment."
Translation: These are the people who threatened to really make a fuss if they were drafted. My advice -- if you served in the Army a long time ago, and they want to drag you back in, threaten to go in kicking and screaming. Threaten to sue, to call your Congressman, to make as public a stink as possible. Guess what? I think that somehow you'll be "released from your commitment".
posted by Green Voicemail 11/16/2004 10:45:00 AM
Sunday, November 14, 2004
"The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is On Fire...!"
Green/Libertarian Fund Raising for Ohio Recount -- goal is $150,000 by November 15th
Go here to donate!
"We don't need no water/let the motherfucker burn!!"
posted by Green Voicemail 11/14/2004 02:50:00 PM
Real Progress
" Make that thirty-one, Mr. President...."
March 2003: "Our Invasion of Iraq is going to lead to a new beginning for the region. Why can't those liberals see that?"
April 2003: "Now that we've taken control of Tikrit, this is going to be the sign for the insurgents to lay down their arms. Why can't those liberals see that?"
May 2003: "Now that Paul Bremer has replaced Jay Garner, we'll get the Iraqi government functioning again and the insurgents will have no one to appeal to. Why can't those liberals see that?"
June 2003: "Now that Desert Scorpion will mop up the last of the insurgents, Iraq will have a pro-American and pro-Israeli government in the Middle East. Why can't those liberals see that?"
July 2003: "Now that Saddam's sons have been killed by American forces, the Iraqis will realize that they don't have to live in terror ever again. Why can't those liberals see that?"
August 2003: "Now that Chemical Ali has been captured, it means the end of the Ba'athist-run insurgent resistance. Why can't those liberals see that?"
September 2003: "Now that we're getting the electricity back on line, and getting schools built, the Iraq people will see that the insurgents are their real enemies, and not the Americans. Why can't those liberals see that?"
October 2003: "Now that the Madrid Conference has been a success, and that other countries are going to donate to the US rebuilding efforts, we'll have Iraq up and running again in no time. Why can't those liberals see that?"
November 2003: "Now that we've agreed to turn over power to a new Iraqi government in 2004, it puts the lie to the liberal canard that we were there for oil or to show China and Russia our might. Why can't those liberals see that?"
December 2003: "Now that we've captured Saddam and are going to bring him to trial, this will show the insurgents that it's only a matter of time before we get them, too. Why can't those liberals see that?"
January 2004: "Now that we've set a deadline for the transfer of power as June 30th, the Iraqis will know that they're the ones in charge and we'll only be there at their invitation. Why can't those liberals see that?"
February 2004: "Now that we're nearing the one year anniversary, the insurgents will know that the US will stay there for however long it takes, and they'll give up. Why can't those liberals see that?"
March 2004: "Now that we've closed al-Hawaz, that incendiary newspaper by that Iraqi rabble-rouser al-Sadr, the Iraqis have been sent a clear signal that violent talk will not be tolerated. Why can't those liberals see that?"
April 2004: "Now that we've shown the Iraqis in Fallujah that we won't tolerate the murder of innocent contractors, the resistance will lose heart. Why can't those liberals see that?"
May 2004: "Now that we've named Allawi as Prime Minister of the new Iraqi government, the Iraqis will get the benefit of Dr. Allawi's forward-looking ideals for a new peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Why can't those liberals see that?"
June 2004: "Now that we've transfered power to the Iraqis and the UN recognizes the new Iraq government as legitimate, this means the beginning of the end for the insurgency. Why can't those liberals see that?"
July 2004: "Now that Allawi has the power to declare martial law, he's shown that the Iraq government does not intend to be a mere 'puppet regime'. Why can't those liberals see that?"
August 2004: "Now that we've shown our might in Najaf, the insurgents have learned that we will fight them anywhere, anytime, and think twice about attacking American soldiers. Why can't those liberals see that?"
September 2004: "Now that we're enhancing the training of the new Iraq security forces, we'll have an army that can attack the insurgents on its own and free American troops for reconstruction work. Why can't those liberals see that?"
October 2004: "Now that there are free elections in Afghanistan, it sends a signal to the insurgency that its days are numbered! Why can't those liberals see that?"
November 2004: "Now that we occupy (most of) Fallujah, we've broken the back of the resistance and they'll soon see that they just can't hide in a city and attack American troops anymore. Why can't those liberals see that?"
December 2004:....
posted by Green Voicemail 11/14/2004 02:05:00 PM
Left Wing Offense
Well, we got shot up again last week. I think I lost 6 of the one o'clock games but everyone else pulled it out at 4 o'clock (EST -- even though I live in CST I grew up in EST) to finally bring me to 7-7, putting me at 51-33 for the year.
Today's picks:
NY JETS over Baltimore
Chicago over TENNESSEE
Detroit over JACKSONVILLE
INDIANAPOLIS over Houston
Kansas City over NEW ORLEANS
Pittsburgh over CLEVELAND
Seattle over ST. LOUIS
ATLANTA over Tampa Bay
Cincinnati over WASHINGTON
Carolina over SAN FRANCISCO
Minnesota over GREEN BAY
NY Giants over ARIZONA
NEW ENGLAND over Buffalo
Philadelphia over DALLAS
No WTF? pick this week.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/14/2004 01:43:00 PM
Words on a Page
is back to blogging and we are all heartened. Wanda comes back to the blogroll. Yay!!
posted by Green Voicemail 11/14/2004 10:15:00 AM
Swinging Your Wallet
Why not stay at Embassy this year?
At the risk of this sounding like a South Park Episode, I think the best way to handle the supporters of Boy George is not some sort of pseudo-seccession movement, but to hit them in their wallets.
If a corporation is going to donate all of its money to Republican causes, why should be continue to support them with our dollars? You have to think of it this way: "when you go to one of these places, you are supporting the Republican Party".
The complete list is AT THIS LINK.
I will warn you that the site name is FreeNortheast.com. I intend to post soon about the whole "blue states/red states" issue and what I call the "pseudo-secession" movement.
posted by Green Voicemail 11/14/2004 09:12:00 AM
