The Godless Liberal By John McDonald

Tom Delay Quits

2006-04-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

Tom Delay resigned from Congress yesterday distracting me from the NCAA Championship game in which my Bruins were being pounded by Florida. Thanks Tom.

I think that all representatives could learn a lesson from Delay, resign and make Americans happy. Delay is crooked... (anyone who would argue that doesn't read this Blog as it would interfere with their anti-abortion prayer marches.) he however is not the only member of Congress who should resign. All Republicans and Democrats serving in the House and the Senate should be forced from office in retaliation for a 2 trillion dollar deficit run up. An illegal war or two, Katrina, warrant less wiretaps, outsourcing... etc.

I for one think Delay stepping down gives Americans hope, the hope that more will follow him and go directly to jail.

Bye Tom, you Pius windbag.

Cindy Sheehan Arrested

2006-02-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

Just before the State of the Union Address Cindy Sheehan who had been given a ticket to attend the event by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey as a guest. Cindy was arrested for wearing a shirt that read "2,245 Dead. How many more?". Free speech, apparently not.

Our nation is ghost of it's former self and on the horizon it appears that we are in for even worse times to come. The mother of a fallen soldier killed during an illegal conflict is not allowed to speak her mind and protest in the house built by revolutionaries. Long live the king.

Republicans Soil Themselves and Their Pants

2006-01-06T05:13:00.000-08:00

Jack Abramoff, the Lobbyist to the stars of the RNC has pleaded guilty to ripping off Native Americans in order to funnel cash into the coffers of the Republicans. Abramoff cut a deal with prosecutors in order to reduce his sentence (coward) and it is expected that the scumbag will roll over on the Republicans whose poles he polished. He kept electronic records of his emails and text messages to these dirty politicians and personnaly their staff... and soon so will we.

I am hard on this administration and it's lack of morality, ethics, mercy, inteligence, and souls. I am therefore surprised to be applauding the Justice Department for it's continuingly superior performance, bravo. You guys are good.

Some have claimed (Fox News) this be a bipartisan scandal and I could honestly care less, if that were true, which we all doubt it is. None the less, any politician found to be dirty needs to be thrown off the face of the First world, the second too for that matter, into the murky underbelly of the Third World.

There they will spend the remainder of their lives contracting Polio and fearing the great Mosquito bringer of pain and death, as we will send them to this forsaken land without medicines. They will at point I assume the irony of their situation. they could have helped this land to irradicate these trivial but deadly diseases but did not, they were too busy stuffing their pockets and mouths.

Fare well, and watch out for Lions.

Bush is a Spy

2005-12-17T08:02:00.000-08:00

It was reported this week by the NY Times that George W. Bush has ordered the NSA to spy on Americans... Duh. That is what the Patriot Act was for. What caught many Americans by surprise was that he ordered the NSA to spy, on them.

People like the idea of stopping terrorists but at what cost? How much are they willing to give up? The government lost the ability to spy on Americans in the 70s because of another scandal, Watergate. I have been telling everyone I speak to over the phone that conversations are recorded by the NSA since the Patriot Act was signed, maybe now they will believe it.

To quote Braveheart:
"They can take our lives but they will never take our freedom."

Soylent Green is People.

2005-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

Every one of us who screams at the rain in the country, trying to make the average man listen, so that we might affect a change in this government, is asleep. We are blind to the fact that we have lost a war that we never knew was fought. America is not, and has never been a country, it is a lie.

We the same chances of altering a leopard's spots as we have changing this country. Bob Woodward an insider for the Bushanistas? But he brought down Nixon, didn't he?

No... HE did not. The country was not operating at full efficiency and some fat needed to be trimmed. Kennedy ring a bell? I don't know why he was killed, and neither do you because the records are sealed. Why is that?

Sealed in a Democracy?

Yes, in the United States of America.

But if we don't know all of the facts how can we cast an informed vote?

Exactly.

America's Founding Fathers, the slave owning right-wing of European utra-Christians so foul to be around that they were booted off of that continent, formed this government. And guess what they were all about? What their bag was, what they liked to do, and of course expected everyone else to follow?

It doesn't matter, they didn't invent this country. Corporations did, at least this incarnation of America.

This America is the third largest country in the world by population, and the largest consumers of well, everything in the world. We produce nothing but war which keeps the populous scared and buying, a formula even Pavlov would be proud of. We have semi-strong nationalistic feelings which keep us focused on the enemy, and we are always at war. Every news broadcast contains something to be afraid of, some new horror so foul that we must lock our doors to keep it out, and in doing so, lock ourselves in.

We live in a consumo-fascist state and there is no freedom granted that is not beneficial to the state. The fascists won this nation by assimilating thier ideals into the corporations and buying off the politicians in order to have them relax or refuse to enforce anti-monopoly laws. We the people never saw it coming because they bribed us too with cheap goods from Japan, then Taiwan, now China. They also promised victory over the hordes from the black or brown countries who practice a black or brown religion and hate white people. White people loved that one.

How do you beat corporate fascism with words and ideas they will not allow on thier airways or in thier print? They do after all own all media.

You don't, and that's why they've won the war. A coup if you will, in which the government didn't actually change. But it did happen didn't it? That is greatest trick they managed to pull. No one noticed. Maybe they were too busy shopping.

"Ding" Blue light special on isle five.

Special Prosecutor seeks new Grand Jury

2005-11-26T00:23:00.000-08:00

Patrick J. Fitzgerald my man of the year was not too pleased with the revelation that former "All the President's Men" co-author Bob Woodward knew of Joseph Wilson's wife before anyone else in the media. The announcement was meant to help Scooter Libby escape prison on perjury, obstruction of justice, and 30 years worth of other crimes. It instead seems to have pissed off the one guy who can hold the White House accountable for it's crimes. A Grand Jury is a 2 year commitment by Fitzgerald to hound these guys until he finds out where all of the bodies are burried. I for one cannot wait to hear the White House spin this additional two years of anal probes as a victory for democracy.

Arnold Won't Be Back

2005-11-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Californians voted down ALL of Governor Schwarzenegger's proposed amendments in the special election... ALL of them. It cost the state of California which is already in debt 40 million dollars to hold these elections. Special interests on both sides spent over 200 million dollars fighting each other, making this one of the most expensive elections in California history.

Four ballot initiatives were on the plate in case no one read them here are sections from each initiative that I find most disagreeable:

PROPOSITION 73 - WAITING PERIOD AND PARENTAL NOTIFICATION BEFORE TERMINATION OF MINOR'S PREGNANCY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Defines abortion as causing "death of the unborn child, a child conceived but not yet born."

PROPOSITION 74

PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS. WAITING PERIOD FOR PERMANENT STATUS. DISMISSAL. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Modifies the process by which school boards can dismiss a permanent teaching employee who receives two consecutive unsatisfactory performance evaluations.

PROPOSITION 75

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNION DUES. RESTRICTIONS ON POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS. EMPLOYEE CONSENT REQUIREMENT. INITIATIVE STATUTE.

Prohibits the use by public employee labor organizations of public employee dues or fees for political contributions except with the prior consent of individual public employees each year on a specified written form.

PROPOSITION 76

STATE SPENDING AND SCHOOL FUNDING LIMITS. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.

Permits Governor, under specified circumstances, to reduce appropriations of Governor’s choosing, including employee compensation/state contracts.

Wow, the nerve of this guy.

The result, California said no to Arnold and the Republican Party, no to taking away a woman's right to choose, no to big pharmaceutical companies, and no to big energy.

The Governator said he wanted the tools to do the job, that he wanted to change our broken system. California voters gave him their answer, and I am sure he already possesses the needed tools for his next assignment, a suitcase and map so that he can leave the Governor's Mansion and return home in his giant SUV.

Sometimes Democracy has a way of biting you in the ass, doesn't it Arnold?

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2005-11-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

Scooter Libby - Indicted
Carl Rove - Still Under investigation, still likely to be executed.
35% approval rating for Adolf - I mean GWB.
George W. Bush flies south for the winter during Duck Season (Argentina almost burned to the ground in protest.)
Democrats shut down the Senate - Because they can.
Being a Liberal when the crap hits the fan.... Priceless.

I was right Republicans are always wrong.

2005-10-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Let me be the first if not the only one to say that I am soooooo smart. I wrote in an earlier post that Judith Miller then serving what would turn out to be an 85 day incarceration for refusing to answer questions posed by a Special Prosecutor regarding her knowledge of the outing of a covert CIA agent did so not to protect her sources, but rather herself.

As it turns out, I was almost certainly correct. Her own paper the New York Times, is now posing the same question of their Pulitzer Prize winning reporter.

NY Times / Judith Miller

You will notice that I used the phrase "almost certainly" in my self-praising. It is a defect common to those who value empirical evidence, or put more plainly, don't buy in to the notion of a virgin birth. People like myself rarely have 100% certainty or state even the most commonly accepted "facts" as such.

It is however a fact that I was right to question her motives and now the mainstream media including her own paper are catching up.

Carl Rove to be indicted for treason?

2005-10-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

What if the Special Prosecutor files charges against Carl Rove and Scooter Libby? What if those charges include conspiracy to commit treason? I do believe that still carries the death penalty. Just a thought.

Since they cooked the intelligence and smeared their adversaries in an attempt to take this nation into an illegal war which has cost this nation hundreds of billions of dollars, thousands of American lives, and our friends and credibility around the world they should at least be charged with treason. I have no illusions about getting convictions against these fascists, but charging them would at least give the appearance that we are a nation concerned with the rule of law.

I have one more week to hope for justice as do we all. Just think though, no one knows what charges are to filed, or who is to be indicted, weird.

A few years ago a Special Prosecutor looking into business dealings and frequent flyer miles found a Blue Dress, if this guy is half the bloodhound Ken Starr was, this could the week that George W. Bush gets fitted for an orange jumpsuit. 911, and whether he ordered it, not just knowingly let it happen. After all, the Military Industrial Complex has made about a trillion dollars from the war on terror, that's a pretty good motive to blow something up. I watch CSI too.

Roberts Confirmed... crap.

2005-09-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

John Roberts is the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, getting all but 22 Democrats to vote for him. (I will post the names of those who voted for and against him.) This is just wonderful, A Nazi is Pope, the son of an SS officer is my Governor, a developmentally disabled President, and big business has taken over the last "super power". The polar ice caps are at their lowest levels in a century and the world is using more oil every day.

With Roberts controlling the bench for the next 50 years he will be able to rid Americans of their rights and freedoms, but hey, he is a smart guy. Democrats voted for him because he was a smart guy? No, they did it because he was going to be confirmed anyway, and they did not want to look partisan. Let me think, who elects Democrats office? Oh yeah Liberals. Once elected they are there to vote not their conscience but our will. Anyone claiming otherwise needs to expelled from office. Democrats don't want to look or vote like Liberals, fine then I won't vote Democratic and neither will millions who don't like the spineless idiots we have representing us. Liberals are more courageous then conservatives because we stand for every man. The great victory of the Republican smear machine is that it has made Democrats feel ashamed of their beliefs.

The Democratic Party is dead, and the liberal voice is not being heard in Washington.

Congress cuts own phone lines to hide from Roberts protesters

2005-09-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

Congressional phone lines have been cut to avoid receiving opposition calls from constituents. People are furious with the expected "Slam Dunk" nomination of John Roberts to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, many like myself have emailed our elected representatives and voiced that opposition. Some have attempted calling the toll free Congressional number available to all Americans only to find that the number doesn't work right now, no kidding. Perhaps elected officials have concluded that not receiving any calls would mean that they have not received any demands for them to vote down Roberts.

The number in question is 1-877-762-8762 and does not work, all you receive is a busy signal, which makes sense since everything else in the government is broken now. But what about freedom and Democracy? Aren't we exporting this sham of a political system to all parts of the world? Odd that something we seem to be so proud of we don't protect more. If we value the voice of the people shouldn't we hear those voices when they attempt to be heard?

For me, Roberts is a danger to the freedoms we have shared my whole life. Miranda, Roe V. Wade, Habeas Corpus, affirmative action, these are few of the things this man hates. The republicans must remember while attempting to reshape this country that a stop sign is only effective because the majority of people agree to stop at it. The Supreme Court is in danger of becoming a rubber stamp for the religious right, and I am checking for flights to Vancouver... A.

Hurricane 911

2005-09-07T05:25:00.000-07:00

I have been watching as all Americans have been, the horrific events in Louisiana. I wonder if the American people will ever realize the consequences of not voting, or for voting for the wrong candidate, at any level of government.

Why is it so difficult for people to put 2 and 2 together? If a man or woman is friendly, more attractive than the competition and is the kind of person you could see yourself having a beer with... Sleep with them, don't vote for them. George W. Bush and his posse have only two skills they make money from pain that they cause, and no one blames them or holds them accountable. That combination allows them to win elections but it doesn't make them good leaders.

Through incompetence, arrogance, and or hate for poor mostly black Americans George W. Bush and his appointees have caused the deaths of our fellow Americans. I say our fellow Americans because they are not his fellow Americans. George W. Bush is rich and through his office powerful, though as a byproduct of his incompetence no longer the Most Powerful Man in the World, that title now belongs to the President of China. People died because he was on vacation and half-assed the pre-planning of the disaster relief and response. People may say that FEMA or Homeland Security were in charge of it, but to hell with that, he is the head of the government and it is his job. I wonder if in his head he was reading to kids at a school while CNN showed people dying in the streets waiting for help that never came.

"Just finish the book. It's all a dream. I will wake up soon, safe and sound, just finish reading the book."

Not all bad news though Haliburton was awarded the no-bid contract to clean up New Orleans, and according to Barbara Bush his mommy, who visited "refugees" at the Astro Dome in Houston. (I shit you not, she said this)

"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas," Barbara Bush said in an interview on Monday with the radio program "Marketplace." "Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality."

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway," she said, "so this is working very well for them."

Don't believe me?
THE NEW YORK TIMES

If the President takes 5 weeks off who runs the country?

2005-08-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

I served 4 years in the Army and never once was granted a 5 week leave. What else does this idiot think a four year term entiles him to? By the way, while on vacation should President Slacker pop his head out his rural compound, he will see a woman camped as close as the Secret Service will allow. She is the mother of one of the soldiers sent to his death by the now vacationing head of state. He will not talk to her, though he does acknowlege her presence to the media. Why would he not speak to an anti-war mom of a dead soldier? Because he, George W. Bush, personnaly cooked the intelligence on Iraq which allowed for the invasion, and led to the death of this woman's son. Unlike the other 1,800 moms of dead soldiers, this one wants to speak to her President about his actions which led to the death of her son. He does after all work for her, and us. Come to think of it, if any one of us took 5 weeks off work, wouldn't we get fired... hey I like the sound that. Fire him.

Pulitzer Prize Winner Judith Miller - Not a Saint

2005-07-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

Arianna Huffington's Blog (www.huffingtonpost.com) posted an interesting theory on why Judy Miller a Pulitzer Prize Winning "Journalist" didn't publish a story (any story) on Joe Wilson, his op-ed piece, his wife the CIA agent, the White House's attempt to undermine the credibility of Joe Wilson or his wife, or the outing of Joe Wilson's wife as a clandestine agent of the CIA by the Casa Blanco in order to deny the statement by Joe Wilson that the Vice President asked him to investigate the claim that Uranium was being purchased by Iraq from Nigeria (a precursor to the unlawful conquest of Iraq).

She published no story at all, and allowed herself to be scooped by Robert Novak, a "man" whose nose is so far up the asses of the RNC that when he sneezes, Chenney's heart goes into arrest. A Pulitzer Prize Winning "Journalist" who had the information to write a great story and didn't must have a reason, right? Arianna Huffington thinks she has the answer. Judy Miller was the source of the leak, not the leak to the press, the leak to the White House.

What if a journalist found info on a subject that could be used to destroy their credibility and gave it to the powers that be, which allowed them to discredit a person who by the way was correct in writing that Iraq had no WMD? After those actions would they write about it? Brag about how they threw out their integrity, or how what they did paved the way for the unlawful and illegal actions of this administration? No, they would remain quiet, hoping that no real journalist would try to dig up the facts or put together the timeline of the events leading to the outing of a key member of the clandestine services post 911.

I for one have not forgotten that Arianna Huffington was until recently, a Republican, (a name I associate closely with the now underground Nazi movement) nor do I put it past the Republican (Nazi) Party to send her to our side to plant misinformation in an attempt to control our talking points, but this one makes sense. Why would she not write any story, Any story at all? What if as Huffy theorizes, she was the leak.

If that were the case, which it could be, then to hell with her, she committed a crime and is where she belongs, for a lot longer than she will be incarcerated for. She may very well have trimmed decades from her sentence by not cooperating with the investigation. Either way, whoever would protect these criminals deserves jail time, at least.

As for Huffy, I appreciate my friends forwarding me her Blog, which is not as cool as mine. If EVER a Republican, NEVER a Liberal. I for one would not side with GWB or his father, or Ronald Reagan, or Richard Nixon, on the color of the sky.

British Reaction to Terror... No Fear.

2005-07-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

Just a short post on a lesson Britain taught the world this week. I don't want to dwell on the bombings in the Underground this week or the deaths associated with the attack, except to say "thank you" to the U.K.

In the face of an ongoing attack Thursday morning at rush hour, Londoners refused to panic. One Londoner caught in the tube during the attack when interviewed right after the blast stated on camera "I feel sorry for the attackers", wow. In the days after the horrible deeds were done, no retaliatory rhetoric escaped the lips of the government, and people went back to work.

In not panicking, Londoners defeated terror the only way possible, by not being afraid. Our troops and our planes have not accomplished in the four years since 911 what average citizens of London did on one day in July... they took the "terror" out of terrorism.

Like a good mother she continues her lessons to her children, even when they have moved away and don't call anymore. There is no way to stop someone from attacking you, but by not living in fear of the attack you destroy the greatest weapon terrorists posses. I don't want to dwell on the event except to say "thank you" to Great Britain.

Bush Cries, Americans Die, Does Anyone Care?

2005-06-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

George W. Bush the dumbest man to ever hold elected office... anywhere, spoke tonight to a captive audience (literally), televised nationally but watched with great interest internationally during primetime. The captive audience was a congregation of the troops of the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division, the sister unit the 101st Airborne Division (my former unit). These soldiers had no choice as to whether or not to show up, clap, or most importantly... boooooooo.

He, the previously named dumbest man to ever hold elected office anywhere, had a very specific and important agenda. GWB had to convince the American populous not to overthrow his non-elected dictatorship. His (GWB) administration has allowed (at least) 911 to occur, failed to capture Osama Bin Laden, and started a war in Iraq and in doing so overthrown a democratically elected leader of an OPEC country with no provocation, and in direct violation of international law. Say what you will about the Saddam regime, and you will probably be right, but that is no justification for attacking a country. The world post WWII doesn't allow nations to primitively attack nations for possible future aggressions.

Over 1,700 Americans have died in combat since the 3,000+ on 911, and for what? Are we safer? Nope. Why are no media outlets saying Bush is full of it? Because all media is corporate owned. CNN is owned by AOL Time Warner, NBC is General Electric, ABC is Disney, Fox is News Corp. etc... etc... etc. All of these companies love the Republican mantra, low taxes corporate bailouts, and no jail time for cooking the books in order to defraud.

CNN for instance conducted a non-partisan poll of the speech in which 50% of the polled audience were Republicans, 26% were Democrats, and 24% were Independents, they called the President's speech a success because with that audience 46% felt they somewhat agreed with what the President said.

Huh? Half the audience was Republican and even they did not strongly agree with the President. Bob Costas, sitting in for Larry King announced a successful speech without bringing up the obvious. How can it be a non-partisan focus sample if the ruling party is the huge majority of those polled? No wonder Larry King took the night off... he didn't want to read that propaganda.

Bush sucked, he said nothing new. He did not inspire faith in the administration, or convince America that if given more time he could do any better than he already has, in short, it's time to boot this moron out of office.

Donald Rumsfeld stated just yesterday that the insurgency could last 8-12 years! Hello! Eight to twelve years? Am I the only one who is outraged at the... not failures but success of this administration? They have so clouded the minds of Americans that no one goes nuts that America has become much like a 20th century nation bent on conquest... Germany, a nation whose whole economy was based on the miltiary.

I for one am not going to smell the flesh burning from the smokestacks and feign ignorance. Free speech sucks when no one uses it, the media has the constitutional right to speak their minds, but corporations don't want to hurt their sponsors and their parent mega-corporations. George W. Bush is the dumbest war criminal ever, and because the loonies are running the assylum, he goes unchallenged. Imagine having approval ratings as low as Richard Nixon during Watergate,(the lowest in history for a second term President, Bush is 1% higher) and not having Congress calling for your job. No checks, no balances.

At the end of the speech, looking into the eyes of men and women he would soon send to their deaths, Bush cried... like a little bitch. Grab a pair George, other dictators don't cry, they kill thousands and have a martini. Just our luck we get the mass murderer with no balls.

By the way, the primetime speech was watched by about as many people as a 2 A.M. rebroadcast of an episode of "Iron Chef" on Food Network.

If a tyrant cries and no one watches does he make a sound?

Study shows Republicanism May Be Genetic

2005-06-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

The discovery that affiliation with the Republican Party is genetically determined was announced by scientists in the current issue of the journal NURTURE, causing uproar among traditionalists who believe it is a chosen lifestyle.

Reports of the gene coding for political conservatism, discovered after a decades-long study of quintuplets in Orange County, CA, has sent shock waves through the medical, political, and golfing communities.

Psychologists and psychoanalysts have long believed that Republicans' tendencies resulted from dysfunctional family dynamics. A remarkably high percentage of Republicans do have authoritarian domineering fathers and emotionally distant mothers who didn't teach them how to be kind and gentle.

Biologists have long suspected that conservatism is inherited.

"After all," said one author of the NURTURE article,

"It's quite common for a Republican to have a brother or sister who is a Republican."

The finding has been greeted with relief by Parents and Friends of Republicans (PFREP), who sometimes blame themselves for the political views of otherwise lovable children, family, and unindicted co-conspirators.

One mother, a longtime Democrat, wept and clapped her hands in ecstasy on hearing of the findings.

"I just knew it was genetic," she said, seated with her two sons, both avowed Republicans.

"My boys would never freely choose that lifestyle!"

When asked what the Republican lifestyle was, she said,

"You can just tell watching their conventions in Houston and San Diego on TV: the flaming xenophobia, flamboyant demagogy, disdain for anyone not rich, you know."

Both sons had suspected their Republicanism from an early age but did not confirm it until they were in college, when they became convinced it wasn't just a phase they were going through.

The NURTURE article offered no response to the suggestion that the high incidence of Republicanism among siblings could result from their sharing not only genes but also psychological and emotional attitude as products of the same parents and family dynamics.

A remaining mystery is why many Democrats admit to having voted Republican at least once -- or often dream or fantasize about doing so.

Polls show that three out of five adult Democrats have had a Republican experience, although most outgrow teenage experimentation with Republicanism.

Some Republicans hail the findings as a step toward eliminating conservophobia. They argue that since Republicans didn't "choose" their lifestyle any more than someone "chooses" to have a ski-jump nose, they shouldn't be denied civil rights which other minorities enjoy.

If conservatism is not the result of stinginess or orneriness, (typical stereotypes attributed to Republicans) but is something Republicans can't help, there's no reason why society shouldn't tolerate Republicans in the military or even high elected office -- provided they don't flaunt their political beliefs.

For many Americans, the discovery opens a window on a different future. In a few years, gene therapy might eradicate Republicanism altogether.

But should they be allowed to marry?

Thanks again to Comet Gery-Shube.
(I think I need to get off my ass, they contribute more than I do, oh well that's socialism.)

The Downing Street Memo

2005-06-20T02:32:00.000-07:00

SECRET AND STRICTLY PERSONAL - UK EYES ONLY

DAVID MANNING From: Matthew RycroftDate: 23 July 2002S 195 /02cc: Defence Secretary, Foreign Secretary, Attorney-General, Sir Richard Wilson, John Scarlett, Francis Richards, CDS, C, Jonathan Powell, Sally Morgan, Alastair Campbell

IRAQ: PRIME MINISTER'S MEETING, 23 JULYCopy addressees and you met the Prime Minister on 23 July to discuss Iraq. This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. It should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know its contents.

John Scarlett summarised the intelligence and latest JIC assessment. Saddam's regime was tough and based on extreme fear. The only way to overthrow it was likely to be by massive military action. Saddam was worried and expected an attack, probably by air and land, but he was not convinced that it would be immediate or overwhelming. His regime expected their neighbours to line up with the US. Saddam knew that regular army morale was poor. Real support for Saddam among the public was probably narrowly based.

C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

CDS said that military planners would brief CENTCOM on 1-2 August, Rumsfeld on 3 August and Bush on 4 August. The two broad US options were:

(a) Generated Start. A slow build-up of 250,000 US troops, a short (72 hour) air campaign, then a move up to Baghdad from the south. Lead time of 90 days (30 days preparation plus 60 days deployment to Kuwait).

(b) Running Start. Use forces already in theatre (3 x 6,000), continuous air campaign, initiated by an Iraqi casus belli. Total lead time of 60 days with the air campaign beginning even earlier. A hazardous option.

The US saw the UK (and Kuwait) as essential, with basing in Diego Garcia and Cyprus critical for either option. Turkey and other Gulf states were also important, but less vital.

The three main options for UK involvement were:

(i) Basing in Diego Garcia and Cyprus, plus three SF squadrons.

(ii) As above, with maritime and air assets in addition.

(iii) As above, plus a land contribution of up to 40,000, perhaps with a discrete role in Northern Iraq entering from Turkey, tying down two Iraqi divisions.

The Defence Secretary said that the US had already begun "spikes of activity" to put pressure on the regime. No decisions had been taken, but he thought the most likely timing in US minds for military action to begin was January, with the timeline beginning 30 days before the US Congressional elections.

The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force.

The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action. There were three possible legal bases: self-defence, humanitarian intervention, or UNSC authorisation. The first and second could not be the base in this case. Relying on UNSCR 1205 of three years ago would be difficult. The situation might of course change.

The Prime Minister said that it would make a big difference politically and legally if Saddam refused to allow in the UN inspectors. Regime change and WMD were linked in the sense that it was the regime that was producing the WMD. There were different strategies for dealing with Libya and Iran. If the political context were right, people would support regime change. The two key issues were whether the military plan worked and whether we had the political strategy to give the military plan the space to work.

On the first, CDS said that we did not know yet if the US battleplan was workable. The military were continuing to ask lots of questions. For instance, what were the consequences, if Saddam used WMD on day one, or if Baghdad did not collapse and urban warfighting began? You said that Saddam could also use his WMD on Kuwait. Or on Israel, added the Defence Secretary.

The Foreign Secretary thought the US would not go ahead with a military plan unless convinced that it was a winning strategy. On this, US and UK interests converged. But on the political strategy, there could be US/UK differences. Despite US resistance, we should explore discreetly the ultimatum. Saddam would continue to play hard-ball with the UN. John Scarlett assessed that Saddam would allow the inspectors back in only when he thought the threat of military action was real.

The Defence Secretary said that if the Prime Minister wanted UK military involvement, he would need to decide this early. He cautioned that many in the US did not think it worth going down the ultimatum route. It would be important for the Prime Minister to set out the political context to Bush.

Conclusions:(a) We should work on the assumption that the UK would take part in any military action. But we needed a fuller picture of US planning before we could take any firm decisions. CDS should tell the US military that we were considering a range of options.

(b) The Prime Minister would revert on the question of whether funds could be spent in preparation for this operation.

(c) CDS would send the Prime Minister full details of the proposed military campaign and possible UK contributions by the end of the week.

(d) The Foreign Secretary would send the Prime Minister the background on the UN inspectors, and discreetly work up the ultimatum to Saddam. He would also send the Prime Minister advice on the positions of countries in the region especially Turkey, and of the key EU member states.

(e) John Scarlett would send the Prime Minister a full intelligence update.

(f) We must not ignore the legal issues: the Attorney-General would consider legal advice with FCO/MOD legal advisers.

(I have written separately to commission this follow-up work.)

MATTHEW RYCROFT

(Rycroft was a Downing Street foreign policy aide)

John Conyers Jr. and the Downing Street Minutes

2005-06-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

The other night House Democrats blew my mind by laying the grounds for the impeachment and possible imprisonment of George W. Bush and Dick Chenney, along with their staff. It also marked the rise of a superstar in the Democratic party of John Conyers Jr. the representative from Michigan's 14th district. Conyers has now become my favorite Democrat and in my mind the best choice for the nomination in 2008... not Hillary.

As usual no media coverage was given to the landmark gathering to discuss the Downing Street Minutes... which if you don't know, explain the circumstances by which the U.S. and Brittain broke international law and invaded a sovereign nation. This action not only cost this nation hundreds of billions of dollars and 1,700 plus American lives, but also cost us the mantle of the last super power.

This hearing received little press as I mentioned earlier, but one article in the Washington Post painted Conyers Jr. in a very unfavorable light. Unlike Sen. Kerry in the last election, the congressman didn't take slander lightly and responded as follows:

June 17, 2005
Mr. Michael Abramowitz, National Editor; Mr. Michael Getler, Ombudsman; Mr. Dana Milbank; The Washington Post, 1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20071

Dear Sirs:

I write to express my profound disappointment with Dana Milbank's June 17 report, "Democrats Play House to Rally Against the War," which purports to describe a Democratic hearing I chaired in the Capitol yesterday. In sum, the piece cherry-picks some facts, manufactures others out of whole cloth, and does a disservice to some 30 members of Congress who persevered under difficult circumstances, not of our own making, to examine a very serious subject: whether the American people were deliberately misled in the lead up to war. The fact that this was the Post's only coverage of this event makes the journalistic shortcomings in this piece even more egregious.
In an inaccurate piece of reporting that typifies the article, Milbank implies that one of the obstacles the Members in the meeting have is that "only one" member has mentioned the Downing Street Minutes on the floor of either the House or Senate. This is not only incorrect but misleading. In fact, just yesterday, the Senate Democratic Leader, Harry Reid, mentioned it on the Senate floor. Senator Boxer talked at some length about it at the recent confirmation hearing for the Ambassador to Iraq. The House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi, recently signed on to my letter, along with 121 other Democrats asking for answers about the memo. This information is not difficult to find either. For example, the Reid speech was the subject of an AP wire service report posted on the Washington Post website with the headline "Democrats Cite Downing Street Memo in Bolton Fight". Other similar mistakes, mischaracterizations and cheap shots are littered throughout the article.
The article begins with an especially mean and nasty tone, claiming that House Democrats "pretended" a small conference was the Judiciary Committee hearing room and deriding the decor of the room. Milbank fails to share with his readers one essential fact: the reason the hearing was held in that room, an important piece of context. Despite the fact that a number of other suitable rooms were available in the Capitol and House office buildings, Republicans declined my request for each and every one of them. Milbank could have written about the perseverance of many of my colleagues in the face of such adverse circumstances, but declined to do so. Milbank also ignores the critical fact picked up by the AP, CNN and other newsletters that at the very moment the hearing was scheduled to begin, the Republican Leadership scheduled an almost unprecedented number of 11 consecutive floor votes, making it next to impossible for most Members to participate in the first hour and one half of the hearing.
In what can only be described as a deliberate effort to discredit the entire hearing, Milbank quotes one of the witnesses as making an anti-semitic assertion and further describes anti-semitic literature that was being handed out in the overflow room for the event. First, let me be clear: I consider myself to be friend and supporter of Israel and there were a number of other staunchly pro-Israel members who were in attendance at the hearing. I do not agree with, support, or condone any comments asserting Israeli control over U.S. policy, and I find any allegation that Israel is trying to dominate the world or had anything to do with the September 11 tragedy disgusting and offensive.
That said, to give such emphasis to 100 seconds of a 3 hour and five minute hearing that included the powerful and sad testimony (hardly mentioned by Milbank) of a woman who lost her son in the Iraq war and now feels lied to as a result of the Downing Street Minutes, is incredibly misleading. Many, many different pamphlets were being passed out at the overflow room, including pamphlets about getting out of the Iraq war and anti-Central American Free Trade Agreement, and it is puzzling why Milbank saw fit to only mention the one he did.
In a typically derisive and uninformed passage, Milbank makes much of other lawmakers calling me "Mr. Chairman" and says I liked it so much that I used "chairmanly phrases." Milbank may not know that I was the Chairman of the House Government Operations Committee from 1988 to 1994. By protocol and tradition in the House, once you have been a Chairman you are always referred to as such. Thus, there was nothing unusual about my being referred to as Mr. Chairman.
To administer his coup-de-grace, Milbank literally makes up another cheap shot that I "was having so much fun that [I] ignored aides' entreaties to end the session." This did not occur. None of my aides offered entreaties to end the session and I have no idea where Milbank gets that information. The hearing certainly ran longer than expected, but that was because so many Members of Congress persevered under very difficult circumstances to attend, and I thought - given that - the least I could do was allow them to say their piece. That is called courtesy, not "fun."
By the way, the "Downing Street Memo" is actually the minutes of a British cabinet meeting. In the meeting, British officials - having just met with their American counterparts - describe their discussions with such counterparts. I mention this because that basic piece of context, a simple description of the memo, is found nowhere in Milbank's article.
The fact that I and my fellow Democrats had to stuff a hearing into a room the size of a large closet to hold a hearing on an important issue shouldn't make us the object of ridicule. In my opinion, the ridicule should be placed in two places: first, at the feet of Republicans who are so afraid to discuss ideas and facts that they try to sabotage our efforts to do so; and second, on Dana Milbank and the Washington Post, who do not feel the need to give serious coverage on a serious hearing about a serious matter-whether more than 1700 Americans have died because of a deliberate lie. Milbank may disagree, but the Post certainly owed its readers some coverage of that viewpoint.

Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.

Check out this great man's site and see what he is about, 2008 anyone?http://www.house.gov/conyers/

Thanks to the Gery clan for supplying the ammo.

Deep Throat Exposed

2005-06-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

It was revealed that the source of leaks that led to the end of Richard Nixon's presidency was none other than the number 2 man at the FBI Mark Felt. The republicans on party line have all unanimously called him a traitor... what a surprise. The White House under Tricky Dick was responsible for extending a war we didn't need to fight, and trying to steal information from and bug the offices of his competition in an election in order to steal it.

Hmmm, this sounds familiar, wait I've got it GWB? Where is our Deep Throat? Where is the admistration insider who will be brave enough to oust this dumb ass? I don't think it is a coincidence that the right always attacks the media, it is probably nothing more than a preimtive strike in case a couple of young reporters with balls dig up the REAL dirt on the republican conspiracy.

Mark Felt did something that may never happen again in government, his job. He was an FBI official who put the country before his cronies, and didn't seek recognition for doing the right thing. I applaud the actions of a great American. We need a new Deep Throat.

2005-05-04T01:17:00.000-07:00

bush sucks

Mrs. Bush Goes To Town... On Her Husband.

2005-05-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

At the annual White House Press Corps dinner, and usually boring roast of the sitting president, something wonderfully abnormal occurred. The obviously battered Stepford Wife of George W. Bush had enough of the years of abuse at the hands of her Taliban-like captor/ husband... and went fucking crazy. The poor woman who we all had assumed to be a deaf mute spoke for the first time in decades and let out her anger in a five minute tyraid against the much maligned architect of 911 and the illegal overthrow of a democratically elected world leader in Iraq. Mrs. Bush clearly shocked her husband by speaking in public, ( which is a taboo in all fundamentalist cults around the world ) and interrupting her husband in front of other men, which is according to the Bible is literally punishable by death. Were it not for the presence of T.V. cameras and Bill Maher, the liberal watchdog and celebrity, it is more than likely that George W. Bush would have at least bitch-slapped her. With firm resolve she held her ground took the microphone away from the international war criminal and spoke her mind... finally.

She told the crowd and all who would listen that her alcoholic husband, the so-called leader of the free world spends his nights passed out in the Oval Office by 9 P.M. every night, leaving her alone and afraid. Battered wives apparently become so conditioned to their torment at the hands of their husbands that they prefer pain to solitude. The brave trembling woman stood in front of the amassed crowd and told of the safety and security, even love that she had found in the arms of the wife of the Vice President Lynn Chenney. She proudly recalled a night when their husbands were both unconscious and they engaged in an orgy with Condoleeza Rice, which clearly goes against this White House's policy of burning homosexuals at the stake.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening came when Mrs. Bush venomously stated that her husband George W. Bush sucked off a horse on their ranch in Crawford Texas. Which almost made the president choke on a pretzel... again. The crowd was startled but not shocked as the pure-bred horses on the Bush ranch are Arabians, and everyone already knew that Bush sucks Arab cock.

We wish the first lady all the best in her efforts to distance herself from the man most republicans are already running away from.

2005-04-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

bush

Republicans who act like veterans... But are not

2005-04-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

My whole life I have seen these guys acting tough. Republicans are the first to call for war and the last to call for peace. This proclivity makes these facts distressing.

REPUBLICAN War Mongers Service Records:

Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
Tom Delay: did not serve.
House Whip Roy Blunt: did not serve.
Bill Frist: did not serve.
Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
George Pataki: did not serve.
Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
Rick Santorum: did not serve.
Trent Lott: did not serve.
Dick Cheney: did not serve - several deferments due to "other priorities"
John Ashcroft: did not serve. 7 deferments to teach business.
Jeb Bush: did not serve.
Karl Rove: did not serve.
Saxy Chambliss: did not serve due to a "bad knee".
(This is the man who attacked the patriotism of Max Cleland who lost three limbs in combat in Vietnam.)
Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
Vin Weber: did not serve.
Douglas Feith: did not serve.
Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
Richard Shelby: did not serve.
Jon Kyl: did not serve.
Tim Hutchinson: did not serve.
Christopher Cox: did not serve.
Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
Don Rumsfeld: US Navy flight instructor 1954-57.
Geo. W. Bush: six year Nat'l Guard commitment (incomplete).
Ronald Reagan: poor eyesight, made movies and canteen visits in WWII.
Gerald Ford: US Navy WWII.
Phil Gramm: did not serve.
John McCain: Vietnam POW, Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, DFC.
(George W. Bush attacked him though the same attack dogs he sent to bring down John Kerry.)Jeff Sessions: Army Reserve 1973-86.
J.C. Watts: did not serve.
Lindsey Graham: attorney for National Guard.
G.H.W. Bush: US Navy pilot-WWII, shot down by Japanese.
Tom Ridge: Bronze Star - Vietnam.
Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
Clarence Thomas: did not serve.

PUNDITS:

Sean Hannity: did not serve.
Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a "pilonidal cyst").
Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
Michael Savage: did not serve.
George Will: did not serve.
Chris Matthews: did not serve. (Peace Corps.)
Paul Gigot: did not serve.
Bill Bennett: did not serve.
Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
Bill Kristol: did not serve.
Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
Michael Medved: did not serve.
Ann Coulter : did not serve.

Now for the peace-loving DEMOCRATS:

Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
David Bonior: Staff Sgt. Air Force, 1968-72.
Tom Daschle: 1st Lieut., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
Al Gore: enlisted 1969, sent to Vietnam Jan.'71 as army journalist-20th Engnr. Brig.
Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. US Navy, 1966-69, Medal of Honor, Vietnam.
Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47, Medal of Honor, WWII.
John Kerry: Lieut., US Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat Purple Hearts.
John Edwards: did not serve.
Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt. US Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
Max Cleland: Captain, US Army 1965-68: Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
Ted Kennedy: US Army, 1951-53.
Tom Harkin: Lieut. US Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-79; Captain, Army Reserve, 1979-91.
Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII, Bronze Star & 7 campaign ribbons.
Leonard Boswell: Lieut. Col., Army 1956-76: Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Star
Pete Peterson: Capt. USAF, POW, Purple Heart, Silver Star & Legion of Merit.
Mike Thompson: Staff Sgt., 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
Bill McBride:( Candidate for Fla. governor), USMC Bronze Star- Vietnam.
Gray Davis: Captain, US Army; Bronze Star - Vietnam.
Pete Stark: USAF, 1955-57.
Chuck Robb: USMC- Vietnam.Howell Heflin: Silver Star.
George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC - WWII.
Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments - Entered draft & rec'd #311.
Jimmy Carter: Lieutenant US Navy ; seven years of service including WWII.
Walter Mondale: US Army, 1951-53. Korea.
John Glenn: US Navy WWII & Korea, six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 clusters.
Tom Lantos: served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg
Wesley Clark: US Army 1966-2000, West Point, Vietnam, Purple Heart, Silver Star, retired Four Star General.
John Dingell: WWII.John Conyers: US Army, 1950-57- Korea.

I am a veteran and a real democrat. These Republicans would have you beleive that by stating I am anti-war I am in some way anti-American. I served and they didn't.