My New Hero

My new hero is Malali Joya.

Media repeats Cheney lies unchallenged

Vice President Cheney spoke at the West Point commencement and told so many lies it's difficult to keep count. And as always, the Bush administration can count on stenographers in the complacent media to repeat the lies unchallenged.

Here are a few:

"We're fighting a war over there because the enemy attacked us first," Cheney said.

Well, that's just bullshit. The terrorists who attacked the United States on September 11, 2001 were al Qaeda members from Saudi Arabia and a few other countries. They were based in Afghanistan. None of them were Iraqis. None of them were based in Iraq.

The terrorism fight now centers on Iraq, the vice president said, because that is where the enemy has massed.

Well, that's bullshit, too. There was no al Qaeda in Iraq before the United States invaded. Saddam Hussein and Osama were not allies. The fight in Iraq is primarily between Iraqis -- minority Arab Sunnis who don't like being out of power and majority Arab Shiites who like being in power and don't want to go back to being oppressed by the Sunnis, as was the case in the Saddam era. To the extent that there are any "terrorists" in Iraq it's BECAUSE the United States is in Iraq.

He promised that the Army will have all the manpower, equipment and support it needs, and he referred to President Bush's signature Friday on a spending bill for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

That's also bullshit. The Bush administration has dragged its feet on body armor, armored vehicles, pay raises, medical care, and a host of other military matters.

And a final quote from the AP article about Cheney's West Point Speech really pissed me off:

More than 50 counterprotesters showed up, many with American flags and signs urging support for U.S. troops.

"People should support the troops, and they're going to support the enemy with their protest," said Jim Dwyer, who was standing with a group called Gathering of Eagles that had hoisted a large American flag on a crane.

I'd suggest to Mr. Dwyer that he remember that he lives in America, where disagreement with official administration policy is allowed. To quote Edward R. Murrow "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty."

The only things truly compromised

Keith Olbermann was right on target in tonight's special comment:

The Democratic leadership has, in sum, claimed a compromise with the Administration, in which the only things truly compromised are the trust of the voters, the ethics of the Democrats, and the lives of our brave, and doomed, friends, and family, in Iraq.

You, the men and women elected with the simplest of directions - Stop The War - have traded your strength, your bargaining position, and the uniform support of those who elected you… for a handful of magic beans.

I predict that the phrase "And this President!" uttered with such contempt by Olbermann, will become a defining moment for the Iraq war debate.

Ann Coulter doesn't know meaning of "Christian"

From Coulter's May 16, 2007 column on the death of Jerry Falwell:

Falwell was a perfected Christian. He exuded Christian love for all men, hating sin while loving sinners. This is as opposed to liberals, who just love sinners. Like Christ ministering to prostitutes, Falwell regularly left the safe confines of his church to show up in such benighted venues as CNN.

Perfected Christian? Are you kidding me?

Here's some truth about Jerry Falwell, as told by Max Blumenthal:

...In 1984, Falwell called the gay-friendly Metropolitan Community Church "a vile and Satanic system" that will "one day be utterly annihilated and there will be a celebration in heaven." Members of these churches, Falwell added, are "brute beasts." Falwell initially denied his statements, offering Jerry Sloan, an MCC minister and gay rights activist $5,000 to prove that he had made them. When Sloan produced a videotape containing footage of Falwell's denunciations, the reverend refused to pay. Only after Sloan sued did Falwell cough up the money...

...As with his positions on abortion and homosexuality, the basso profondo preacher's own words on race stand as vivid documents of his legacy. Falwell launched on the warpath against civil rights four years after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision to desegregate public schools with a sermon titled "Segregation or Integration: Which?"

"If Chief Justice Warren and his associates had known God's word and had desired to do the Lord's will, I am quite confident that the 1954 decision would never have been made," Falwell boomed from above his congregation in Lynchburg. "The facilities should be separate. When God has drawn a line of distinction, we should not attempt to cross that line."

Falwell's jeremiad continued: "The true Negro does not want integration.... He realizes his potential is far better among his own race." Falwell went on to announce that integration "will destroy our race eventually. In one northern city," he warned, "a pastor friend of mine tells me that a couple of opposite race live next door to his church as man and wife."

As pressure from the civil rights movement built during the early 1960s, and President Lyndon Johnson introduced sweeping civil rights legislation, Falwell grew increasingly conspiratorial. He enlisted with J. Edgar Hoover to distribute FBI manufactured propaganda against the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and publicly denounced the 1964 Civil Rights Act as "civil wrongs."

In a 1964 sermon, "Ministers and Marchers," Falwell attacked King as a Communist subversive. After questioning "the sincerity and intentions of some civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mr. James Farmer, and others, who are known to have left-wing associations," Falwell declared, "It is very obvious that the Communists, as they do in all parts of the world, are taking advantage of a tense situation in our land, and are exploiting every incident to bring about violence and bloodshed."

Lying? Racist? Doesn't sound very Christian to me, Ann.

Bush against military pay raise

The Bush administration today threatened to veto a House defense spending bill over a 3.5 percent pay raise for U.S. soldiers and a $40/month increase in benefits for military widows, among other provisions. The legislation passed the House today 397-27.

Bush budget officials said the administration “strongly opposes” both the 3.5 percent raise for 2008 and the follow-on increases, calling extra pay increases “unnecessary.”

THIS is what passes for "supporting the troops?"

Shameful.

Patrick McHenry is a douchebag

A campaign aide to Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry of North Carolina has been indicted on charges of voter fraud. The aide, Aaron Lay, is alleged to have illegally cast a ballot in two 2004 primary elections in which McHenry was a candidate. Lay allegedly claimed to live at McHenry's house while he actually resided in Tennessee. It's possible other McHenry campaign workers did the same thing and will also be indicted.

McHenry and his supporters are claiming he's the victim of a “politically motivated” district attorney on a partisan witch-hunt. Here are some examples:

“It’s unfortunate that political opponents chose to target this young man in order to attack me.” - Rep. Patrick McHenry [Link]

“It’s shameful that District Attorney Locke Bell is trying to destroy his life for political purposes. I continue to support Congressman McHenry.” - Cleveland County Republican Party Chairman Wayne King

“This is the culmination of a three-year smear campaign against Congressman McHenry…This case is much like the Duke Lacrosse case in that a politically motivated district attorney sought an indictment against a young man.”

Oh, BULLSHIT.

1 -- The DA, Locke Bell, is a Republican and a supporter of McHenry’s. He told the Charlotte Observer today that he had contributed money to and helped host a fundraiser for the congressman.

2 -- Bell couldn’t have participated in “a three-year smear campaign” against McHenry, because he was elected in 2006 and has been DA only since January.

In short, Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell is recently elected AND a supporter of McHenry, not a long-time political opponent on a three-year quest to “attack” and “destroy” him.

McHenry isn't even telling plausible lies. That makes him a douchebag.

Bill O'Reilly is a braying jackass

Yeah, I know it goes without saying, but his latest outrage needs to be confronted.

Vermont State Representative William Lippert of Hinesburg was eating in the Vermont Statehouse cafeteria when members of a camera crew from the Fox News program "The O'Reilly Factor" began questioning Lippert about why the House had not passed a "Jessica's Law" that would require 25-year sentences for some sex offenders.

O'Reilly Factor host Bill O'Reilly singled out Lippert in a recent segment. "Well, I mean, it's being blocked up there by one guy. Right? Jessica's Law? Bill Lippert?" O'Reilly said, according to a transcript of the show. "He's the guy. House Judiciary Chair, Democrat, Bill Lippert refuses like they did in Maryland. And now we probably have to pay this guy a visit. Refuses to introduce it. Corrupt guy, no question. Let the people vote, Mr. Lippert. That's what you are there for. Not to block the law."

The irony, according to Lippert, is that on the the PRECEDING DAY the Legislature passed a measure that toughens laws dealing with incarcerated sex offenders. Under the new law, "high risk" offenders who reach their maximum sentences without completing treatment programs will be under strict requirements to register with authorities, with a life sentence possible for those who do not comply. "We have some of the most comprehensive and stringent sex offender laws in the country," said Lippert.

Vermont House Speaker Gaye Symington and the rest of Lippert's colleagues would have none of O'Reilly's ambush tactics. "The tactics employed by the producers of this television program are unacceptable and have no place in this Statehouse or in Vermont politics. I stand with my colleague from Hinesburg and in defense of Vermont's tradition of civil political discussion and debate," Symington said from the floor of the House, to the sustained applause of Vermont's Representatives.

Bill O'Reilly. Wrong on the facts. Wrong on the law. Lies by claiming not to engage in personal attacks though he thinks nothing of calling Bill Lippert, a man of honor and integrity, "corrupt."

THAT'S why Bill O'Reilly is a braying jackass.

Like shooting fish in a barrel

Honestly, Mara Liasson of NPR and Fox lies so routinely and so implausibly that she should change the spelling of her last name to LIE-asson.

The most recent lie involves the presidential campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton:

On the May 13 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday, Fox News contributor and NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson asserted that former New York City mayor and Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani is "trying to argue" that he is "the only one who can beat a Democratic nominee -- [Sen.] Hillary Clinton [D-NY]." Liasson added, "But I don't think the polls support that. I think the polls show that in head-to-head matchups, for whatever that's worth now, they all do."

Oh, BULLSHIT!

In fact, TWO recent polls (here and here) show Clinton leading not only Giuliani, but also EVERY OTHER top Republican candidate in head-to-head matchups.

Mara, maybe you could try some fact based journalism in your future appearances?

Media double standard?

Randall Tobias, US Deputy Secretary of State and USAID Administrator, quit suddenly on April 27 after his name turned up as a client of "DC Madam" Deborah Jean Palfrey.

Maybe it's just me, but does the supposedly liberal media seem to treat stories like this with less interest during the Bush administration than they did when Bill Clinton was President?

Like this?

This?

This?

This?

This?

18 Big GOP Donors Dine With the Queen

The 18 major donors on last night's guest list each raised and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for Bush and the Republican party over the past decade, according to an ABC News analysis of campaign contribution data available at Opensecrets.org.

...Among the guests to attend the white-tie dinner was Jim Click, a Tucson, Ariz., car dealership owner, who has contributed more than $900,000 for Republicans since 1994, and was designated a Bush "Ranger" for raising more than $200,000 for Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns...

...Click is the cousin and business partner of Robert Tuttle, also a major contributor, who is now the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. Tuttle raised at least $100,000 for Bush's re-election campaign, making him a Bush "Pioneer..."

...Many of the major donors on the guest list came from the Texas oil and energy industries, including former Enron executive Richard Kinder. Kinder left Enron in 1996 after buying out the company's pipeline operations to start his own business. Kinder has contributed nearly $1 million to Bush and the GOP since the early 1990s, including $350,000 in donations to Bush's inaugural funds...

...Also receiving coveted invitations were Texas oilmen T. Boone Pickens and Ray L. Hunt. Pickens and Hunt have each contributed more than $700,000 to the Republican party going back to the first Bush presidency...

Gee, I wonder how the media would treat a Democratic president, even if he was LESS obvious about his fundraising than Bush? Oh, wait, we already know.

Liberal media bias. Oh, PLEASE!

Back from training

I was away from home for about 10 days. Posts will resume shortly.