* * political doodle * *

LUCILLE: Let's Hear What John McCain has to say. . .

LUCILLE: GI John Goes to War

I guess if someone asked you what Presidential contender was the most pro-G.I. you might say John McCain. After all we all know about his military experience, his stint as a POW and so on and so on. Right? So, why would I say he's going to war. . . against the very soldiers he so blithely wants to continue sending to Iraq?

Senators on both sides of the aisle agree that the sacrifices made by our service people entitle them to at the very least a better future - a revamped G.I. Bill which would pay for state college for those kids. Don't they deserve at least that? Many of them have been back in a dangerous combat zone multiple times - probably more dangerous than the majority of troops during WWII. And WWII vets had their educations paid for. It was a great investment. It gave them a real future. And every dollar spent produced $7 of in  additional taxes from those vets. Nowadays what our vets get pales in comparison.

Guess who doesn't support this bill. Mr. Mission Accomplished himself, George Bush . "Too generous" he says. The nerve. He's willing to give Halliburton and other contractors millions upon millions to do a pretty shoddy job in Iraq, yet he doesn't want to give these brave men and women a chance for a real future. He's just wiling to suck the life out of them, then spit them out.

He's willing to spend hundreds of billions on the war , but not $2 - $4 billion on the vets.

He says it will hurt retention rates. In reality, it will draw in more talented individuals.

And John McCain? He's all talk about supporting our men and women in uniform. But instead he's  walking in lock step with Bush in opposing this bill and instead introducing a weak imitation bill of his own. 

Hypocrite.

LUCILLE: The Straight To Hell Express

While Obama and Clinton duke it out in an amazingly democratic (small d) nomination race, let's take a look on the other side of the aisle and start to consider what kind of President John McCain would make.

And just to show you that I can talk beyond Iraq (since that's a subject on which McCain will no doubt falter), I'm going to focus on the economy and how Johnny Mack's plan for the US will reverberate if we're unlucky enough for him to get elected this fall.

Keep in mind, this is the man who admitted he knows very little about he economy - so, hey, let's put him in charge. My guess is he'll do a heck of a job. . .  just like Brownie.

First and foremost, let's look at what he wants to do about taxes. Was there ever an easier way to pander? Promise tax cuts - and make it sound like everyone gets them - and everyone loves you. Only one thing: he's not saying how we're going to pay for running the country once he puts us into debt that will make your head spin.

LUCILLE: George W Bush has approved this message of Torture

This is absolutely incredible to me. George Bush's top advisors - Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney,  Condi Rice - not only approved torture but choreographed exactly what could be done to whom, how often. They decided who should be physically hurt, who should be waterboarded, who should be attacked by trained dogs.

But that's not the worst.

George Bush told ABC News that he personally approved of the approval of torture by his top advisers. Our President personally approved torture. Have you heard about it in the news? Only if you're watching  The Daily Show with Jon Stewart or Countdown. No front page stories. No replaying the news clip, over and over on Fox News. Not a peep from most of the media.

Well, it makes me sick. And maybe these pictures will make you sick, too. Now that we know - because he admitted it himself - that torture in Iraq wasn't the work of a "few rogue soldiers" but approved and choreographed by the sickos inhabiting the White House - I want you to look at these pictures - a chronology of one night of torture in Iraq approved by George W Bush - and tell me that this is your America.  

Abu Ghraib prison, Baghdad Iraq
December 12, 2003 10:47:25 PM





December 12, 2003 10:47:30 PM




WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING



 

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LUCILLE: Let's Not Talk About Iraq

We need to stop talking about Iraq. It's not really an issue in this presidential campaign. We need to talk about everything but Iraq. Why? Because  Republicans know that they have to take that issue off the table if they have  prayer in hell of winning this fall.

But I'd like to talk about someone who took unilateral military action with virtually no strategic planning, using way too few troops resulting in an embarrassing failure. Not  George Bush (fooled you). I'm talking about Iraqi Prime Minister, Maliki who planned (if I can loosely use that word) a failed assault on the Shi'ite militia in Basra late last month which left Sadr more secure in his position of power than before.

Maliki is like Bush's twin; arrogant, divisive and none too smart. His little romp down in  southern Iraq  has absolutely weakened him and, by association, weakened the US. Of course, George Bush praised him. After all, it's what he would have done.

The most amazing thing is that while Bush is calling it a "defining moment in the history of a free Iraq" GOP presidential nominee John McCain seems to be unaware of what is happening.

So, was it really a debacle? Consider this: There were huge casualties. American and British forces and air power had to come to the rescue. About 1000 Iraqi soldiers either defected or just went home in the midst of the fight. And Mr Maliki's boys sought a cease fire. 

By Bush standards, that was a victory.

Everyone is discussing whether or not Obama has the wherewithal to operate on the big stage, whether Hillary is "more experienced." My friend Monty wants to put the Iraq War on the back burner and talk about the economy and free trade and probably gay marriage.

But what I (and millions of Americans) want to know, with George Bush on the way out,  is how does McCain - Mr Experience himself - see the war?

I'll tell you how he sees it - through rose colored glasses.

LUCILLE: Fuel for Thought

A NATION BUILT ON UNSUSTAINABILITY - FUEL, FOOD, AND DEBT
     •     With trucking diesel fuel prices now over $4 per gallon in many locations, food prices are reaching an all time high, since the average grocery store item has traveled 1500-3500 miles.
     •     Over the past year, alone, consumers have been forced to pay significantly more for staples like eggs (25 percent), milk (17 percent), cheese (15 percent), bread (12 percent), and rice (13 percent). This is partially due to increased costs of transportation and partially due to massive amounts of cropland being converted to biofuel production. As a result, consumers are paying more for their food and paying $15 billion in increased taxes per year for biofuel subsidies.
     •     Fuel prices have nearly doubled the expenses of commuters over the last year. Recent polls show a strong majority of U.S. citizens are in favor of allocating a larger portion of the federal budget for mass transportation.
     •     In contrast, the amount of federal money earmarked for mass transit projects (example: rail and bus) has been reduced by nearly 70% since the Bush Administration took over in 2001.
     •     A record number of consumers are using credit cards to pay for increased fuel costs. Although the recession has negatively impacted employment, the New York Times reports one of the few booming occupations in the current job market is as a Debt Collector.
     •     Since 2001, the top five oil companies have increased their annual profits by an average of 500%.

Source: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_11013.cfm

LUCILLE: George Bush and WMW*

The only thing more mind-numbing than Bush's absolute disengagement over the current (and growing) financial crisis is the steadfast, continued support of him by a small minority. Now, that's loyalty - or is it ignorance?

• The master of "What, me worry?*" leadership will always be remembered as the guy who:

• Was positively shocked to find out that gas will probably go up to $4 a gallon this year,

• Believes we're facing a financial "rough spot" (Is that what you call taking $30 billion from American taxpayers to bail out Wall St. fat cats?);

• To this day, refuses to admit we're facing a recession -  won't even use the word  - despite the fact that his own boy, Paulson, has admitted as much;

• Has refused to hold a top-level bipartisan economic meeting to address the growing mortgage crisis (Yes, I said growing. You ain't seen nothin' yet.)

• Is tooling around the world, making speeches about NATO, while Fed Chairman Bernanke is delivering the bad news about the economy.

Hey, Mr. President, forget about simply focusing on some possible future terrorist attack; we are being destroyed right now from within and all you want to do is shuck and jive in Eastern Europe.

You want to know about 1000% more than your uninterested President does? Read on.

LUCILLE: Quote of the Week - John McCain

"People are living their normal lives" (in Iraq)

            - John McCain, March 20, 2008

LUCILLE: Osama Bin WHO?

Notwithstanding the "success" of the surge (almost as successful as my attempt to regain my virginity), I found myself arguing with a co-worker about the original decision to go into Iraq. He gave the usual reasons - Saddam was a terrible person, we thought they had WMD (don't even go there); and, then he brought up 9/11. My former brother-in-law (my niece's father and a friend of mine), Rod Coppola was in the WTC on that day and was one of the victims. It was a terrible, tragic event and a  very sad time for all of us. It hit me and my family personally.

But what did Iraq have to do with 9/11?

And, why can't my co-worker - and so many of you - remember who attacked us on that day?

It was the Saudi, Osama Bin Laden, with the help of mostly Egyptian co-conspirators, calling themselves Al Qaeda and working in tandem with the Taliban. . . centered in Afghanistan. Remember Afghanistan? Where the real "war on terror" is being fought? And where the violence is growing at an exponential rate. . .  like the amount of money spent in Iraq? And where Osama is quite close to, in the border region of Pakistan (according to military intelligence experts)?

LUCILLE: Welfare Kings Rule!

Let me see if I understand: Bear Sterns employed lax lending practices and ended up with about $46 billion in risky mortgages and related securities. And it lost billions for its clients last summer when two hedge funds that invested heavily in mortgage securities crumbled. Do I have it right so far? Last Monday Bear put out a press release claiming, "there is absolutely no truth to the rumors of liquidity problems that circulated today in the market." Three days later, the Welfare Kings had their hands out for one of the biggest welfare payouts in history, a $30 billion dollar bailout. . . from your tax dollars.

LUCILLE: George Bush's "Romantic Adventure" and other True Stories

Here's one for the books. George Bush actually called the war in Afghanistan a "romantic adventure" when speaking to troops there last Thursday. He even claimed he was "a little envious" of them.  I have an idea; why doesn't he have his own adventure and finish his military service (cut short to help Daddy get elected) and join the troops over there? It's interesting how the loudest supporters of war - Iraq as well as Viet Nam - feel it unecessary to actually fight them. By contrast, even Prince Harry made it to Afghanistan to fight - by choice. George Bush's choices have all been a little more self centered.

Speaking of choices, who in God's name is choosing his words for him? Or have they just given up and let him speak for himself? He was absolutely giggly over the economy, calling the news on the US's economic meltdown "a interesting moment." (My high school English teacher, Dan Flynn, must be apoplectic over that interesting grammar.)

Any economist will tell you that the price of a currency reflects the country's overall economic health. And our has been diving for so long that pretty soon we'll be lucky if we can afford to even buy stuff made in China. Oil has gone up to over $110 a barrel, the Dow has been hovering under 12,000 and retail sales fell by 6/10ths of a percent last month.

"I'm coming to you as an optimistic fellow" was what Bush had to say to the Economic Club of New York just this past Friday, while acknowledging that we poor folks "are concerned about making their bills." Can he have fallen off the wagon or is he just trying to act like Herbert Hoover after the crash in 1929?

LUCILLE: Emily Litella is McCain's New PR Director

Remember Emily Litella? She was one of Gilda Radner's amusing characters; the old woman who gave angry and misinformed editorial replies on Saturday Night Live's "Weekend Update" on topics such as "violins on television," and "protecting endangered feces." Once she realized her error, Litella would end her segment with a polite "Never mind".

That's what John McCain is saying to the Federal Election Commission. Back when he couldn't rip a dime from a sleeping two year olds hands, he went begging to the FEC for public financing. Then he used that promise of tax payers' money to get a bank loan. Yes, he promised the public financing money that the FEC was giving him was the collateral for a bank loan for his campaign  (he also had to get an insurance policy because they thought his advanced age made him a poor risk - more on that later!). Think about it: when you offer a bank something as collateral, it means it's something you have, right? Not something you might possibly get. . .  maybe. . .  if you really need it.

Not according to John McCain. After desperately clinging to public financing for months, now he's saying he doesn't want it anymore. The FEC just didn't understand - he just wanted to know if they would give him the money if, just maybe he needed it. Now that he can dig into the deep pockets of the GOP base, he doesn't need it and they can have it back. Not that he ever really took it. . .

It's kind of like ordering something in a restaurant, smelling it, pushing it around the plate, then realizing you can eat your friend's french fries instead, and calling the waitress to take it back, because you decided you didn't need it.

John McCain. The Champion of campaign finance reform. What's that? The Champion of campaign finagling reform?

Never mind.

LUCILLE: The Surge is a Sham

The surge is working? Get real. Aside from the fact that the ethnic cleansing that occurred all over Iraq has been instrumental in keeping down the violence, the truth about the surge is that it has simply delayed the inevitable: massive sectarian violence. As the Sunnis begin to return to Iraq after being thrown out of Jordan and Syria (or simply running out of resources), the brutality will reach heights that we can't even imagine. 
Remember Fallujah and our long, hard battle to drive out the insurgents? Guess what - those same guys who were fighting (killing) our troops and the Iraqi army as little as 6 months ago,  now are part of Sunni militias affectionately known as "The Awakening Council." And they're now our allies. This lovely name hides the fact that we've helped arm and protect up to 80,000 men who are currently fighting the Shi'ite militias but are poised, when the time is right, to continue their fight against the infidels - us.

Why do I think they will? Let's ask Ronald Reagan's favorite question: are the Iraqi's better off now? Well, if you consider 43% of the population living in poverty to be a "success", then I guess the surge is working. If living in horrible conditions with a couple of hours of electricity a day is a "success", then I guess the surge is working. If you are okay with Bagdad being the most dangerous city in the world, then I suppose the surge is working.
Go live in Iraq - outside of the Green Zone - and then tell me the surge is working.
Yeah. That's what I thought

A NOTE FROM LUCILLE

Normally I would alternate with my Right Wing nemesis- but he apparently hasn't had any strong opinions for a while. That said, I'll be posting whenever the mood strikes me, until he has something to say.

LUCILLE: Mr. Clean Needs to Get Out of the Kitchen

John McCain likes to pose as the anti-lobbyist, outside the Beltway reformer; Mr. Clean with hair. When The New York Times and Washington Post came out with stories about his questionable relationship with Vicki Iseman, the lobbyist for Paxson,  he immediately began defending his honor, claiming to never have had a romantic relationship with "that woman."

Okay; he didn't say "that woman".  But his intent was clear: take the focus away from the question of his relationships with lobbyists - who, by the way, make up virtually his entire campaign team - and throw it against the straw dog of marital infidelity. And it almost worked. Attacking the Times for impugning his honor, McCain was able to rally the right wing-nuts to his defense. But that was bound to happen eventually anyway. Do you really believe Rush and his partners in prattle would stand back and forgo attacking the Democratic candidate for the months leading up to the election?

But, here's the problem facing McClean; not only did he show incredibly bad judgment in hanging out with Ms Iseman (and taking multiple corporate jet rides with her), he apparently wrote a few letters to the FCC on behalf of her employer, Paxson. According to the AP:

In late 1999, McCain twice wrote letters to the Federal Communications Commission on behalf of Florida-based Paxson Communications — which had paid Iseman as its lobbyist — urging quick consideration of a proposal to buy a television station license in Pittsburgh. At the time, Paxson's chief executive, Lowell W. "Bud" Paxson, also was a major contributor to McCain's 2000 presidential campaign.

McCain wrote the letters after he received more than $20,000 in contributions from Paxson executives and lobbyists. Paxson also lent McCain his company's jet at least four times during 1999 for campaign travel.

But that's not all. McCain, in a news conference on Friday, February 22 said he had never done any favors for any lobbyist and his campaign insisted that McCain had never spoken to Ms. Iseman or anyone from  Paxson prior to writing to the FCC.

Except he did. In a deposition in 2002, McCain acknowledged he sent those letters after meeting Mr. Paxson.

LUCILLE: MY State of the Union

It's time for a REAL State of the Union address, from someone who not only has been paying attention, but will tell you the truth for a change.

The Economy
Let me ask you the same question the GOP demi god Ronald Reagan asked when he was running for President: are you better off than you were 8 years ago? Believe it or not, the GOP candidates (except Huckabee and Paul) actually tried to claim you are. But let's look at the facts:

• George Bush was bragging in his speech about "a 52 month streak of uninterrupted job growth". . . Well, the new jobs report shows a 17,000 decline in jobs in January. Oh, and that was coupled with the  Commerce Department's report of infinitesimal growth of the economy of .006%. The long term unemployed (unemployed at least 6 months) are up 16.2% from a year ago. And, yet, Bush doesn't feel the need to extend unemployment benefits as part of his "stimulus" package. I guess it's more important to make that Paris Hilton tax cut permanent.

DOUG: Finally... some S.A.C.!

"Strategic Air Command" or, SAC, was the acronym for the oh so robust sounding branch of the Air Force that kept the Evil Empire at bay for nearly half a decade until disbanded in 1992. According to the Wikipedia, General Curtis Lemay took over the Strategic Air Command in 1948

Under LeMay's command, SAC became the cornerstone of American national strategic policy during the Cold War with the Soviet Union. This policy was based primarily on nuclear deterrence. In 1962 there were 282,723 personnel assigned (217,650 airmen, 28,531 civilians and 38,542 officers). SAC's motto became "Peace is Our Profession," symbolizing the intention to maintain peace through the threat of overwhelming force.

Ah yes-- the good 'ole days when the US was in the driver's seat, and recognized that the best way to make sure the enemy stays where they belong and not cause mischief was to make sure they feared you. Yessiree, with such tools at our disposal like the SAC, America truly had sack! Again from Wikipedia,

LeMay was not a great believer in mutually assured destruction (MAD): he felt strongly (particularly in SAC's early years, when Soviet nuclear capability was still in its formative stages) that SAC should be prepared to carry out a preemptive and overwhelming attack on the USSR before the Soviets had a chance to do the same to the United States.

This is exactly the way I view the whole Islamic problem we see right here in the present. With the chief protagonist, Iran, feverishly running the clock in pursuit of nuclear ambition, the race is on to see who will be the first to be at the receiving end of the next atomic attack. I prefer it to be THEM, not us! Make no mistake about it-- our radical and fanatical enemies, fueled by a warped twisting of religious fervor will make every attempt to use such a device to help foment the implementation of a worldwide Islamic Caliphate...

LUCILLE: To Serve Man

Remember hall monitors from when you were in school? They were the kids with the yellow sashes who were on the lookout for any transgressions: chewing gum, running in the halls, fighting. You knew better than to break the rules in front of them, because you'd end up with demerits or in the Vice Principal's office and that went on your "permanent record". Well, welcome to the 21st Century and "monitoring" the Bush way: lucrative, no-bid contracts for Administration cronies.

There is a long list of Bush Administration scandals. Just to name a few, in case you forgot: the Jack Abramov lobbying scandal, hiring columnists to write articles favorable to the Administration, the firing of the US Attorneys scandal to bring in Administration  supporters.  I could go on for days, but I'd rather tell you about the "monitor" scandal,  because it's new, it's hip, it's oh so Bush.

This scandal involves John Ashcroft, late of the Justice Department and it has to do with companies that  escape prosecution by promising to change their ways - and agreeing to be monitored by the government so we can be sure they're keeping their promises. They even have to agree to pay for the monitors themselves. And therein lies the wrinkle.

DOUG: A cleansing effect, if we let it run its course

Some time back, I wrote a piece about the Federal government giving out $40 coupons (my tax dollars!) to people in order to purchase digital-to analog converters for their TV sets rendered useless by the government-mandated switch to digital broadcast television.
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It is apparent that our government is on an unrelenting quest for new "revenue streams" and tax increases to fund these kinds of crazy giveaways and handouts. Like the chicken and the egg, I'm not sure what comes first- new confiscatory taxes and fees, or the schemes that need the extracted dollars. It seems that, other than the ordinary people that I know in my everyday life (except for the TV coupons) , it has become ever more common to find the government bailing out anyone who makes bad choices, instead of allowing even the slightest bit of consequences.
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With the news of another government proposal to bail out overstretched borrowers hit by the home value contraction, I sense even more of my hard-earned tax dollars vanishing from my wallet. This follows on previous government programs that have already been offered. Consider this BusinessWeek Magazine article from June of last year:

Proof of income from borrowers. No penalties for early mortgage payments. And a guarantee that property taxes and insurance bills are covered. The Federal Reserve is considering these and other measures as a way to remedy the troubled market for high-risk, or subprime, mortgages.

So far so good.

Doug: It's the war, stupid!

Considering Hillary’s “surprise” showing here in NH, one has to ask whether it’s possible that, like many Republicans, Democratic voters have the war first and foremost in their minds, too. Might it be that for many of them, deep down inside, they really DON’T want to retreat and surrender from the main front in the war with Islamo-fascism, despite their public statements to the contrary?

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Here’s my theory: Most Democrats, at least those in New Hampshire, BELIEVE Barack Obama when he promises to end the war and bring the troops home. On the other hand, they trust the notion that Hillary is actually lying when she promises the same-- thus, making her a “safer” bet when it comes to the future.

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LUCILLE: Let's Get to the Meat

 

Everyone is focused on the primaries but one subject that is strangely absent from the Republican debates is the one most Americans agree on: the war in Iraq. The Bush Administration - and many of my right-wing friends - insist that things are so much better now, since the surge began. But what exactly has the surge accomplished and how does it compare to what we were promised a year ago by President Bush when he asked us all to be patient and allow his "New Way Forward" to work? At the time, he said "The situation in Iraq is unacceptable to the American people and it is unacceptable to me." Let's see just how acceptable it is now.

In his speech one year ago, President Bush outlined a new strategy for Iraq, unveiling the "surge" in U.S. troops — and more American economic aid. Bush said the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to do more to heal his country's divisions.

In January 2007, when Bush made his "New Way Forward" speech, violence in Iraq was rising, especially in Baghdad and there were car bombs exploding, shootings taking place and ethnic cleansing. This is what he promised the surge would accomplish:

1. The Iraqis would boost their own troop levels
2. Sectarianism would  "not be tolerated"
3. Iraqis would take control of their streets
4. Iraqis would pass an oil law that allowed revenue sharing among the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis
5. Provincial elections would be held in 2007
6. Reform de-Baathification laws
7. Iraq would spend more of its own money
8. The United States would hold the Iraqis to certain benchmarks
9. Decrease in violence
   

Since then, some of what Bush envisioned has been accomplished - but not much.

LUCILLE: Free Market or Free Lunch?

How much interest can a financial institution charge you? I'm wondering: do you know what the limit is? 18%?  25%? 99%??? Keep going. There is virtually no limit to the interest rate you can be charged.

You must think I'm crazy; back 20-30 years ago they passed usury laws, capping interest rates. No more. You are now at the mercy of the banks, credit card companies and other legal loan sharks that, thanks to the GOP and their "free market" mentality, have free reign.

Why has this happened? Because since the time of Ronald Reagan, laws and regulations that once helped the middle class have been systematically changed to favor the wealthy and politically connected.

We're constantly being told how great our economy is doing (although lately they can't avoid the rising unemployment, bankruptcy and foreclosure rates), but little mention is made of the fact that most of this "wealth" is concentrated at the top with the rest of our incomes stagnating or going down.
Let me give you a few examples how this "steal-from-the-poor" corporate socialism is making you pay for the rich to get richer.

LUCILLE: So, he condoned and justified racism. . . should we really condemn Romney?

A lot of religions in this country have officially or unofficially supported and practiced forms of racism throughout history. So, why should it upset Americans that Mitt Romney says "I believe in my Mormon faith and I endeavor to live by it. My faith is the faith of my fathers - I will be true to them and to my beliefs." when those beliefs included racism? After all, even Thomas Jefferson had slaves.

But Jefferson's slave days were back around the time our country was founded. The Mormon Church, on the other hand, had an official racist policy until 1978. Yes, folks, we're not talking about ancient history here. So, when Mitt Romney says he believes in the Mormon faith - which he will "be true" to - is he saying that until he was entering his 30's, he believed and supported the Mormon doctrine of the spiritual inferiority of blacks of African descent?

LUCILLE: It's All About Judgment

Who should be our next President? What do you say we pick someone who at least has some values other than blind loyalty or "gut feelings" that they consider when they decide whom to trust.  Remember when George Bush looked into Putin's eyes and got a "sense of his soul"? Did Putin's "soul" give Bush any indication that he'd be crushing every vestige of democracy in Russia that he could?

And, who can forget when Bush called Musharraf "a man of courage and vision" and "a courageous leader and friend of the United States"? Better (worse?) yet, Ari Fleisher once said that "Bush liked the fact that he [Mushaffaf] does what he wants to do." Yes, he sure does. We're certainly learning that now. Even a personal call from President Bush won't budge him on his quest to break the back of any opposition.

Perhaps that's also why Bush liked Rumsfeld, Gonzales and Harriet Miers, his other wonderful choices. And, now we have Rudy Giuliani trying to become our next President. Gold help us.

LUCILLE: The Pentagon is Planning for "Persistant Conflict" for Decades . . . Really!

Orwell talked about perpetual war in 1984. Now it may just come true.

Don't take my word for it. That's what General Richard Cody, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army is saying and the Pentagon is supporting. They are planning for unending war, which of course gives us a rationale for maintaining an army of over 540,000 for decades to come and a military budget that could choke a Trump. For what, you might ask? Good question.

LUCILLE: Are They Kidding?

So much is going on, I don't know where to start.

1. MuKasey isn't sure about waterboarding? Is he joking? Why doesn't he let himself be waterboarded and see first hand how it feels? Here's why not: because it's TORTURE!
2. Rudy Giuliani - Mr. "I'd Bomb Iran in a Minute Because I'd Be a War President" actually got a deferral from serving in Viet Nam because he convinced his boss, a federal judge, to declare that he  was an "essential" civilian employee. . . while he was a law clerk.
3. We have spent $19 billion to  train and equip  Iraqi security forces and - despite the multitude of press releases claiming the Iraqi's are taking over responsibility in parts of the country - just 10 of 140 Iraqi Army, National Police and special operations units were operating independently as of September - according to federal oversight officials.
4. America has spent twice as much in inflation dollars to rebuilt Iraq as we did to rebuild Japan - an industrialized country about 3 times the size of Iraq, two of whose cities were incinerated with atomic bombs.
5. Mitt Romney said "I am pro-family on every level" promising to oppose abortion in military clinics", forgetting that he said, in his race vs. Ted Kennedy, that he had a "dear, close family relative" who died from an illegal abortion and he was firmly convicted to "not force our beliefs on others on that matter. And you will not see me wavering on that."
6. One year to go. Stay tuned.

MR. MILESTONE: Laissez Un-Fair(e): The Injustice of Robin Hood Taxation

Most people have a deep resentment for financially successful people.  Examples abound of television and cinematographic portrayals of “the rich” as greedy, selfish, unscrupulous, snobby, and generally loathsome Scrooges.  It is often implied that their wealth is derived either through unethical means such as shady business practices, taking advantage of others, and cheating; or undeserved means such as inheritance, a cushy position in a family business, and insider information.  And in these portrayals, the rich stingily hoard and preserve their wealth without giving so much as a crumb to those less fortunate.  They are bad tippers, uncharitable, and showoffs.  And worst of all, they value money ahead of family, friends, and society.  In short, they are despicable, miserable bastards.

Given these views, is it any wonder that we have a tax structure that punishes the well-off?  The message is clear:  Live the American dream, pursue financial freedom, and acquire wealth – but don’t dare go beyond the middle class.  For if you do, your earnings will be decimated by a draconian tax system designed to wedge you back into the fold with the masses.  For why should you enjoy wealth when so many others are struggling to make ends meet?  Never mind the fact that you may have worked harder or taken the time to acquire education and credentials.  If you are earning more than the median, give it back!

LUCILLE: The Only Successful Infrastructure Project in Iraq

What has 21 buildings, covers 104 acres, includes everything from a department store, landscaped swimming pool and tennis courts to a sewage plant, irrigation system and office space for 100's. . . oh, and will cost over $750 million to complete and $1.2 BILLION a year to maintain?

Give up? It's the American embassy in Baghdad.

Yes. An embassy. And it only cost us $750 million.

LUCILLE: Baiting the Hook

Sometimes you can read two totally unrelated news stories and find a connection between them. That happened to me today. The first was on the epidemic of rapes in Congo, where women as old as 75 and girls as young as three have been sexually brutalized with everything from wood to bayonets, destroying their reproductive and digestive organs. Some of these marauders- described as young men with guns - go much further, burning babies, chopping people to pieces and using women as sex slaves in their quest for whatever riches they can pull out of Congo. John Holmes, the UN undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs said:

"The sexual violence in Congo is the worst in the world. The sheer numbers, the wholesale brutality, the culture of impunity - it's appalling."

In large areas of Congo civilians are at the mercy of armed groups who have roamed the country since the mid 1990's, when waves of Hutu militiamen escaped from Rwanda into Congo after exterminating over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Joining in this sadistic destruction of women are government troops. But the most vicious attacks are done by the Hutus.

"These are people who were involved with the [Rwanda] genocide and have been psychologically destroyed by it" -John Holmes

Andre Bourque, a Canadian consultant who works with aid groups in Congo has a name for it: "reversed values." And this is where the second story fits in.

Across the country, in an effort to recruit boys and young men, hundreds of Protestant and evangelical churches - including those who have cautioned against violent entertainment - have been using Microsoft's "Halo," an adult-themed, violent video game to lure them in.

    "We want to make it hard for teenagers to go to hell," a youth minister at the Colorado Community Church in Denver wrote to parents. "It's just fun blowing people up," added Tim Foster, 12.

These churches feel that whatever they can use to get boys and young men in the door is okay. Never mind that Halo is adult-themed entertainment, rated M, which these kids couldn't buy on their own. Never mind that it justifies killing, in the name of fun. And never mind that the underlying plot in Halo is about a religious group that supports the destruction of the Earth as a path to heaven. Maybe next they can try pornography, alcohol and plain old sex.

So, what's the correlation between these two seemingly unrelated stories?

LUCILLE: I Cares About You

Let's talk about phoniness

Rush Limbaugh made headlines again (and increased his show's advertising revenues) by calling Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran and founder of VoteVet.org, a "phony soldier" because he wants us to get out of Iraq.

Apparently, according to Rush, any soldier, sailor or marine  who doesn't support Bush's failed policy is "phony". So, apparently that includes the 7 members of the 82nd Airborne (authors of a NY Times op-ed piece) quoted in one of my posts. Two of them recently died in Iraq. Too bad. According to Rush, they must be "phony soldiers. "