The price of pain

January 15, 2005

Declassified FBI and military documents point the finger at the White House for allowing the torture of suspected terrorists. Marian Wilkinson reports on the investigations and their implications for Australia.

The "urgent report" landed on the desk of the FBI director, Robert Mueller, just as Washington was preparing for the summer vacation last June. It was carefully copied to every key law enforcement officer in the bureau. It could not be lost, destroyed, misplaced or overlooked. It was explosive.

A witness had walked into the Sacramento office of the FBI with first-hand accounts of "serious physical abuses of civilian detainees" in Iraq. He described to agents "strangulation, beatings, placement of cigarettes into detainees' ear openings and unauthorised interrogations".

But these claims alone did not hold the shock value in the report. Two months earlier, sensational photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq depicting gross sexual and physical abuse of Iraqi detainees had been splashed across front pages and television screens around the world. What was more disturbing in this report was the allegation from the witness that US officials "were engaged in a cover-up of these abuses".

With Charles Graner, an army reserve Spc, found guilty on ten charges regarding the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, the first scapegoat has been sacrificed. And there seems to be little impetus to look higher up the chain of command, let alone the Oval Office. This despite continued allegations from FBI officers that the orders condoning torture seem to have emanated from that source.

Also at issue here is the apparent transfer of prisoners to third party nations which are neither signatories to UN Convention Against Torture and are known for there lack of inhibition regarding torture. According to the Convention, which the US is signatory to, "No State Party shall expel, return ("refouler") or extradite a person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that he would be in danger of being subjected to torture." - Article 3; Para 1. This is a clear violation of the convention and while the US is signatory to the Convention, it has not yet ratified it, it is not legally bound to abide by its provisions. There is, however, a moral obligation to do so. However, the Bush Administration seems to be singularly lacking in morals.

A few, though, are questioning the policy put forth in the infamous torture memos. Among them is Senator Lindsay Graham, R- South Carolina. Senator Graham states,

"When you start looking at torture statutes and you look at ways around the spirit of the law ... you are losing the moral high ground," he said. The abuse at Abu Ghraib "has hurt us in many ways," he added. "I travel throughout the world like the rest of the members of the Senate, and I can tell you it is a club that our enemies use, and we need to take that club out of their hands."

This warning was also sounded by military commanders and lawyers even as these memos and orders were disseminated for implememtation. But they were ignored. So too were the protestations of trained interogators, who KNOW that torture provides little or no useful intel, ignored.

The pattern of abuse at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, and elsewhere, shows very clearly that these acts were not isolated cases of abuse carried out by a few "bad apples". But rather, they are the product of policy decisions made at the highest levels of US government, possiblly even to the Oval Office and George W. Bush. All due diligence must be applied to ferreting out the truth of this matter, regardless of where, or how high, the trail leads. And with that, the perpetrators brought to justice.

However, I am cynical enough to think that this will never happen. To many vested interests are at stake for the Bush Dynasty to be toppled over this issue. So, a few non-coms, and perhaps even a few low-ranking officers, will be thrown to the wolves while the true perpetrators go free. And this will be to our detriment. America wil have truly and thoroughly lost the moral high ground. The values of freedom and democracy will be made a mockery of and the Republic will perish from the face of this earth.

Those Who Forget History...

Of course, it helps to have learned history in the first place.

In 1215, a document was produced that became the foundation for western jurisprudence and our own Constitution. That document was the Magna Carta. Most relevant to the discussion at hand are are articles 38 and 39 of the Magna Carta, which is the basis of habeas corpus.

38 In future no official shall place a man on trial upon his own unsupported statement, without producing credible witnesses to the truth of it.

"39 No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.

Heady stuff in those days, but the application was strictly for landed gentry and nobles until about 1628. Until then, the typical yeoman could be imprisoned by the king without charge or recourse to the courts.

In 1628, several knights, imprisoned over a tax-dispute with the king. These knights invoked habeas corpus, where they were to be freed or on bail unless they have been convicted of a crime.

In response, Charles I invoked his right, as king, to imprison anybody he wanted, any time he wanted. This led to the a series of laws over the next 50 years which strengthened habeas corpus to the point where only Parliament could revoke it, which they did in the case of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Mow, fast forward to the 21st century. Dubbyuh has invoked per speciale Mandatum Domini Regis, or the right to imrison anyone he wishes any time he wishes. But unlike George III in the case of Napoleon, Dubbyuh feels he needs no act of Congress to overturn the 4th through 8th amendments to the Constitution. In order to circumvent these protections, new legal terms such a 'enemy combatants' and 'terrorists' were created as well as a whole new set of laws to deal with them.

Dubbyuh forgot one thing though. He does not have the right to suspend habeas corpus. While the Constitution provides a mechanism for the temporary suspension of habeas corpus, he does not have the power to do so...Only Congress has that power, and they have...not...done...so.

Since this country was founded, there are two classses of people who can be legally imprisoned, prisoners of war and criminals. This first class is protected under the Geneva Convention and US law while the second class is protected under the US Constitution. These two classes have covered every threat to nations and their people in the 800+ years since the Magna Carta was signed on the banks of the Thames.

But jast as Hitler and his fellow travelers used the burning of the Reichstag to justify an unending war on terrorism and suspension of habeas corpus, so to have George W. Buhs and his merry band, including Alberto Gonzalez.

"The establishment of the writ of habeas corpus ... are perhaps greater securities to liberty and republicanism than any it [the Constitution] contains. ...[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny. The observations of the judicious [British 18th century legal scholar] Blackstone, in reference to the latter, are well worthy of recital:

"'To bereave a man of life,' says he, 'or by violence to confiscate his estate, without accusation or trial, would be so gross and notorious an act of despotism, as must at once convey the alarm of tyranny throughout the whole nation; but confinement of the person, by secretly hurrying him to jail, where his sufferings are unknown or forgotten, is a less public, a less striking, and therefore A MORE DANGEROUS ENGINE of arbitrary government.''' [Capitals all Hamilton's from the original.]

This by Alexander Hamilton, one of the most conservative authors of the Federalist Papers. The Founding Fathers recognized no situation in which the President could arbitrarily suspend habeas corpus.

While we are all familiar with Mr. Gonzales' involvement in the torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, this is just a part of a larger issue. That being whether the POTUS has the right to ignore the Constitution, international law and treatties, violate civil and human rights and build concentration camps for the permanent imprisonment of untired and uncharged individuals. Dubbyuh's exercise of per speciale Mandatum Domini Regis puts us all at risk of imprisonment by presidential fiant. Do we really want a man as Attorney General of the US who agrees with such policy? They always start with the terrorists first.

"A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE THE BUSH SUPPORTER"

Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some tree-hugging liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some stupid commie liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.

All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance - now Joe gets it too.

He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some girly-man liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.

In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some crybaby liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.

Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some environmentalist wacko liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.

He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some fancy-pants liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.

Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some lazy liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.

If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some stupid liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune. It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some godless liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.

Joe has to pay his Fannie Mae-underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some elitist liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.

Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some America-hating liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.

He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.

The house didn't have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.

He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.

Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like me!

The Myth Exploded, or, The Emperor STILL Has No Clothes

Four months after Charles A. Duelfer, who led the weapons hunt in 2004, submitted an interim report to Congress that contradicted nearly every prewar assertion about Iraq made by top Bush administration officials, a senior intelligence official said the findings will stand as the ISG's final conclusions and will be published this spring.

And the conclusion is...SURPRISE!...no different than it was four months ago. No evidence of reconstituted NBC programs has been found. No evidence of the movement of stockpiles of NBC weapons to other countries has been found. No evidence of transfer of said weapons or technologies to third parties has been found. Zero...Zilch...Nada...Zip. And the Bush administration stands, yet again, naked and blinking stupidly into the sun still trying to convince us that they are clothed in magnificent robes of righteous indignation.

They are still trying to spin their fabric of lies in a futile attempt to justify the invasion of Iraq. They continue to defend the indefensible. They still try to convince us of their good intentions, as they pave the road to hell with them.

Now, I'm sure there are those of you who will buy the party line and say, "But intelligence agencies all over the world said...", blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Mohammed El Baradei, Hans Blix, and former UNSCOM inspectors, including Scott Ritter stated flat out, before this whole nightmare even began, that there were no WMD's in Iraq...That these programs had not be reconstituted. They had the most recent experience in Iraq. They had most recently had boots on the ground in Iraq. The intel available to Bush, Blair, and others was had from the since discredited Ahmed Chalabi and other members of the Iraqi National Congress, who were all looking to set themselves up as the leaders of a new Iraq. And in case you haven't noticed, as soon as it looked as if the whole premise for war was going to be exposed as a lie, Chalabi was branded a criminal and and a traitor, with a warrant issued for his arrest on murder charges. What was it Machiavelli said about "foreign princes"?

As this new information comes to light, if it ever does, you can be certain that the Adminstration will go on high spin cycle. Even though the initial Duelfer Report exploded the myth that Iraq had WMD's and was poised to strike with them, Dick Cheney went so far as to say the Duelfer Report "confirmed our assertions". This in the hopes that enough people who would never read the report would accept his word as the gospel truth. As November 2 showed, enough did buy into the lie.

Reagan's Ghost Haunts the Bush Administration

The shade of Ronald Reagan has been spotted in the White House. He keeps moaning "El Salvador...! El Salvador...!"

Since then, there has been talk in the Administration, the military and the CIA about instituting US special forces trained and/or led Iraqi units to engage in operations throughout Iraq and even into Syria. What has yet to be decided though is whether these operations will be snatch-and-grabs or outright assassination. Having seen what occured in El Salvador and Central America during the Reagan administration, the latter choice seems to be the likely one.

Another strange reminder of that era is that John Negroponte is now the ambassador to Iraq, despite the fact that he has no previous experience in the Middle-East. He was however, US ambassador to Honduras during the Reagan administration. During that time, he was the goto for coordination between the the CIA and Nicaraguan Contra death-squads as well as the death-squad in Honduras. These two items, taken together seem to make the death-squad option the most likely choice.

That this discussion is occuring now...on the eve of elections in Iraq...shows just how desperate the situation is becoming in that country. The insurgents strike with impunity and increasing ferocity against both Iraqis and our troops, who were wrongly sent into harms way to begin with. We have the mass resignation of the members of the Independent Election Commission in Mosul...Polling places will not be named until shortly before the election...insurgents have warned that snipers will be stationed around polling places.

The best hope of salvaging the situation will be if Iraqi voters, as did voters in El Salvador, remain undeterred by these threats and turn out to vote despite them. Equally important is the participation of ALL parties...Sunni, Shia'a and Kurd as well as the other ethnic minorities. Failing either of these two things will lead to further chaos and likley a bloody civil war.

While we may fervently wish for a peaceful transfer of power to a legitimately elected government in Iraq and the safe return of our troops, wishing accomplishes nothing. We can only watch an wait. And pray to whatever powers we might believe in that peace, or at least a semblance of it, comes to pass.

We don't need no steenkeen mandate...!

As the day of Dubbyuh's coronation...er...inauguration approaches, we should examine Dubbyuh's mandate or rather, his lack thereof.

Let's take a brief look at the historical record. In 2000, Dubbyuh lost the popular vote, and his "political capital" was non-existent though he claimed a mandate even then. He barely maintained his hold on power in 2004, and his "political capital" was only marginally better than that in 2000.

As for this election cycle Dubbyuh only won by 34 electors, the smallest margin of electoral victory for any US president. His margin of victory in the popular vote was 51%, hardly an overwhelming majority and not the mandate he claims. His 3% margin of victory is well within the margin of error given most polls.

As for the mandate he claims, reforming social security, selecting conservative judges and "simplifying" the tax code, were not the issue he ran on in the election. Had he run on those issue he would have been soundly defeated. Intsead, Karl Rove played the fear card. Fear of terrorism...fear of attack...fear of same-gender marriage...He did not run on substantive domestic issues. He ran on intangible emotional issues.

In the end, Dubbyuh's mandate is, like the rest of his administration, a fabric of obfuscation, disinformation, misdirection and outright lies. The emperor has no clothes, nor does he have a mandate.

It's Just Plain Wrong

In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Rear Admiral John Hutson pointed out that Mr. Gonzales’ recommendations regarding torture brought increased animosity toward the United States, hurt our intelligence effort, and increased the risks to our troops.

This is true. Torture IS counterproductive. But actually it’s a lot worse. It’s also just plain wrong .

That’s why there are so many laws against it. Not because it’s counterproductive...but because it’s just plain wrong. And it is the rule of law that distinguishes us from animals who don’t know right from wrong.

With some things—like torture, like slavery—well, no matter how many people might say such practices are okay, they are not okay. They are objectively evil. They are morally abhorrent...or, at least, they should be.

Antonio Gonzales attempted to justify inhumane practices in pursuit of a higher good, but no good can ever come from such practices. They merely serve to desensitize others to those practices and dehumanize those who are the subjects of those practices.

Mr. Gonzales is a professed born again Christian, yet I don't ever recall Jesus advocating torture. He admonished us to visit prisoners, not torture them. In attempting to rationalize and justify torture and the violation of international human rights accords the US is signatory to, Mr. Gonzales acted contrary to his own self- professed religious beliefs. Like many in the current administration, Mr. Gonzales wears the mantle of religion like a rabid wolf wears sheeps clothing, so it may go ravening amongst the flock.

Mr. Gonzales, by his words and deeds, has shown himself unfit for the post of Attorney General of the US. He should, in good conscience, remove himself from consideration for this, or any other government post.

An Election Stolen

Ten preliminary reasons why the Bush vote does not compute, and why Congress must investigate rather than certify the Electoral College (Part One of Two)
by Bob Fitrakis, Steve Rosenfeld and Harvey Wasserman
January 3, 2005

The presidential vote for George W. Bush does not compute.

By examining a very wide range of sworn testimonies from voters, polling officials and others close to the administration of the Nov. 2 election; by statistical analysis of the certified vote by mathematicians, election experts and independent research teams who have conducted detailed studies of the results in Ohio, New Mexico, Florida and elsewhere; from experts who studied the voting machines, tabulators and other electronic equipment on which a fair vote count has depended; and from a team of attorneys and others who have challenged the Ohio results; the freepress.org investigative team has compiled a portrait of an election whose true outcome must be investigated further by the Congress, the media and all Americans -- because it was almost certainly not an honest victory for George W. Bush.

The major media outlets have pooh-poohed this story. The Reichpublicans decry it as a wild-eyed conspiracy theory, methinks they dost protest too much. If all of the evidence is not brought to light and examined...NOW...it will be buried and forgotten, along with the Republic.
The major media outlets have pooh-poohed this story. The Reichpublicans decry it as a wild-eyed conspiracy theory, methinks they dost protest too much. If all of the evidence is not brought to light and examined...NOW...it will be buried and forgotten, along with the Republic.

The Scum Also Rises...

U.S. officials who take part in torture, authorize it, or even close their eyes to it, can be prosecuted by courts anywhere in the world [under international law].
Kenneth Roth, executive director, Human Rights Watch, December 27, 2002

U.S. Navy documents released today by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that abuse and even torture of detainees by U.S. Marines in Iraq was widespread. . . . ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero [said] "this kind of widespread abuse could not have taken place without a leadership failure of the highest order."
American Civil Liberties Union, December 14, 2004

The president insists that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will remain in office, and on December 19, Bush's chief of staff, Andrew Card Jr., said on ABC News' This Week that "Secretary Rumsfeld is doing a spectacular job and the president has great confidence in him."

However, on December 9, Senator Jeff Bingaman, Democrat of New Mexico, wrote Rumsfeld to express his "deep concern over issues related to detainees being held in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Recent reports indicate that not only were detainees mishandled and interrogated in a manner inconsistent with the Geneva Conventions, but that subsequent internal reports of abuse appear to have been suppressed . . .

"...internal reports of abuse appear to have been suppressed . . ." If that isn't damning in and of itself, I don't know what is. Beginning with Alberto Gonzales' vetting and signing off on memos which condoned mistreatment and torture of prisoners and dismissed the Geneva Convention as "quaint" and "obsolete" to the current flip-flop on the issue, the Bush administration has been complicit and complacent with regards to the mistreatment of prisoners. And let's not forget the utter contempt the Administration has displayed towards international law, save where it advances US business interests.

It also shows us that Abu Ghraib was not the result of a "few bad apples" "blowing off steam" with a few "fraternity pranks". It was the result of policy explicitly stated by the administration, and implemented in the field by members of our armed forces. But that does not excuse their actions. That such policies would be known and condoned in the highest circles of governement, all the way up to the Oval Office, only reveals the unfitness to command at those levels.

The Administration did a grave disservice to our troops in producing the DOJ memos in an attempt to justify outright violations of international law, the Geneva Convention, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and plain human decency. The recent attempts to distance themselves from those earlier memos with one repudiating them shows that they know that they were in violation of the afore mentioned laws and treaties. Their guilt is plain for all to see. Their actions brand them war-criminals and they must be brought to justice as such. This Administration and its actions represent a shameful chapter in US history...A chapter which should be brought to a close with all deliberate speed.

And the First Rat Outta the Trap Is...

Off to a bad start

January 3, 2005

AUSTIN, Texas -- Oh boy! Starting the year off briskly, lending it such tone already, such cachet, such je ne sais quoi -- those Republicans are so special, aren't they? Their first move, first rat out of the trap, top priority: lower ethics standards. Yessiree, this 2005 is going to be quite a year, some pip.

Let's put that to a vote. Many problems before us -- Iraq, a Social Security "crisis," a real health care crisis, world terrorism, our international reputation possibly at its lowest ever ... who is in favor of lowering ethics standards first? Who thinks ethics standards in Washington are too high?

With the moral waters already murky, the current Reichpublican efforts to further gut the already toothless ethics rules will only further stir up the mud. These folks are getting waaaaay to big for their britches, they seem intent on placing themselves above the law...No, wait, they are the law, and they can do anything they damn well please.

And I thought my expectations for our great and fearless leaders couldn't get any lower. Suprise! They are now lower than whale-shit on the bottom of the ocean. I expect nothing but the worst from our elected leaders, and I am certain they will deliver.

If these changes to the ethics rules pass, the Reichpublicans will have abandoned even the pretense of moral superiority they so successfully played on during the 2004 election. Their morality does "...indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness..." . They are hypocrites of the worst stripe.

Modern Pharisees

26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto 1whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the 1children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? - Matthew 23; 26-31

In perusing the websites of the various religious broadcasters, I find little or no mention of the devastation and tragedy in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and other areas ravaged by earthquake and tsunami. On Jerry Falwell's website, the focus is on registering "...millions of new evangelical voters..." and hawking tickets for a cruise with Mr. Falwell on the Queen Mary II. No mention of, or solicitation for, donations to help the victims of the afore mentioned disaster.

The World Harvest Church pastored by Rod Parsley, seems to be more concerned with the non-threat posed by same-gender marriage and fattening the church's coffers. Again, no mention is made of the victims of natural disaster of last week.

I found the same thing on John Hagee's website and Jimmy Swaggart's website. What I want to know is, "what has become of the imperative to feed the hungry...? Clothe the naked...? Give shelter to the homeless...? Tend to the sick...?" Are they more interested in pursing a political agenda rather than the teachings of their faith. If so, they are, indeed, modern day Pharisees...Outwardly righteous, but inwardly full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

Amendment XIV - Citizenship rights.

1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. - The US Constitution

Montana High Court Says University System Must Provide Gay Employees with Domestic Partner Benefits

...the Montana Supreme Court ruled today that the state must provide lesbian and gay employees of the University of Montana System with the option of purchasing health insurance and other employee benefits for their domestic partners.

The court, in a four-to-three decision, ruled that the University System's policy of excluding lesbian and gay employees from equal employment benefits violates the state constitution's equal protection guarantees.

The legal precedent now exists to enforce the US Constitution's equal protection clause on behalf of same-gender couples across the country and overturn both federal and state "Defense of Marriage" laws.

Meanwhile, Deep in the Bible-belt...

Arkansas Anti-Gay Foster Care Ban Overturned

December 29, 2004

LITTLE ROCK - - Finding that children are not harmed by living with gay or lesbian parents, an Arkansas court today struck down a state regulation that banned gay people and anyone living in a household with a gay adult from being foster parents in the state. The American Civil Liberties Union brought the lawsuit against the state in 1999 on behalf of three prospective foster parents.

"Throughout this case, the state has relied on ugly stereotypes to deny children in the Arkansas foster care system the chance of having the widest possible pool of foster families available to them," said Rita Sklar, Executive Director of the ACLU of Arkansas. "We’re very pleased that the court saw through these arguments and has recognized that gay and lesbian people can provide homes just as loving and stable as anyone else’s."

Who'd a thunk it. Deep in the bible-belt, in the little state of Arkansas, gay an lesbian folks can now provide foster care for kids abused by their straight parents. Gosh, they can find a loving, nurturing relationship with gay and lesbian couples, that they can't find in their own homes.

Guess that shoots the stereo-type of the ignorant, homophobic bible-belter right in the ass...doncha think? Probably not. The same nasty stereotypes will be throw up by the same ugly minded folks who oppose the very concept of same-gender relationships. These sick sots need to clean their own houses and take stock of their own relationships before they even begin to worry about those of others.

Poll: Most Americans Now Say War Was a Mistake

NEW YORK In a historic shift, a majority of Americans express the view that the U.S. made a mistake in going to war against Iraq, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll.

The poll, released on Tuesday, shows that 51% now hold this view, with 48% supporting the decision to go to war. In November those numbers were virtually reversed.

Now that the hype and hoopla of the campaign season has faded, and folks are taking a closer look at what is going on, they're begining to realize that they've been sold a bill of goods. But for all those who have so ardently and slavishly supported Dubbyuh's dirty little war, and still do...I told ya so. Now you own it.

A guilty conscience?

Ohio Republican election officials thumbed their noses at a subpoena Monday, December 27, as Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell refused to appear at a deposition in an election challenge lawsuit filed at the Ohio Supreme Court. Meanwhile John Kerry is reported to have filed a federal legal action aimed at preserving crucial recount evidence, which has been under GOP assault throughout the state.

Richard Congianese, Ohio Assistant Attorney General, is seeking a court order to protect Blackwell from testifying under oath about how the election was run. Blackwell, who administered Ohio's November 2 balloting, served as co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign.

Hmmmm...Something's rotten in the State of Ohio. Why is Blackwell worried about testifying under oath? Besides the fact that he was co-chair of Ohio's Bush n' Dick Show...? Besides the fact that he was in political bed with Wally O'Dell, Diebold executive and Major contributor to the Republican machine in Ohio...? And let's not forget that Wally promised to help deliver Ohio's electoral votes to Dubbyuh.

Sounds like a guilty conscience to me. But even if it isn't, even the appearance of impropriety is damning in and of itself. Ken Blackwell can kiss his political career in Ohio "Goodbye!".

Faith

Faith>; noun: (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion (2) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof

The key word in this definition is "belief". Belief is a box that can trap us. It leads us to think we know all we need to know and need explore or question no further. It can lead us to a seemingly inescapable intellectual and epistemological dead-end.

In the ancient Pali texts, wherein the earliest recorded teachings of the Buddha are preserved, "faith" is mentioned frequently. But it is a verb and not...a noun. This frees us from the trap of belief. Faith becomes a dynamic and ongoing process...a path to be traveled, not a box to be trapped within. It becomes a living thing rather than an ossified edifice.

Belief grips you...Faith frees you. - Roshi Phillip Kapleau

Merry Effing Christmas!

With the budget deficit growing and President Bush promising to reduce spending, the administration has told representatives of several charities that it was unable to honor some earlier promises and would have money to pay for food only in emergency crises like that in Darfur, in western Sudan. The cutbacks, estimated by some charities at up to $100 million, come at a time when the number of hungry in the world is rising for the first time in years and all food programs are being stretched.

Perhaps if Dubbyuh could tap his corporate pimps and johns for some cash for aiding those in need rather than having sumptuous inaugurals topping the $40 million mark, he wouldn't have to cut this aid. Or perhaps if he rolled back a tiny fraction of the $89 billion in tax cuts he wants to make permanent, he wouldn't have to cut food aid.

But no, it is more important to bow and scrape to the money machine that is politics today than it is to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, give shelter to the homeless, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, or ease the torment of the imprisoned. So much for Christian virtue. It's just another tool in the political bag to be trotted out when the opinion polls drop.

Dubbyuh's religious conversion was one of convenience, not conviction. Were it otherwise, we would see it reflected in his words and actions, but all we hear are words unsupported by action or conviction.

So, despite the horrors we see loosed upon the world, and my being non-Christian, I ask all who read this to remember the true meaning of Christmas...I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year.

Do we see a pattern emerging here?

New allegations of prisoner abuse at both Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay are surfacing, and these events occurred some two months after the whole nauseating mess first erupted. The allegations include, "...strangulation, beatings and the placing of lit cigarettes into detainees' ears...

...shackled to the floor in foetal positions for more than 24 hours at a time, left without food and water and allowed to defecate on themselves..." - BBC World Service.

Such actions clearly violate not only US law, but also international law and the UN Convention Against Torture, which the US has long been a signatory to. And let's not forget Executive Order 13107. Issued by Bill Clinton in 1998, it enjoins the US and its forces to abide by ALL conventtions on human rights, and it's one Dubbyuh hasn't gotten around to rescinding...at least not publicly.

We can see a clear pattern here starting with the memos written by John Yoo, and others, which were vetted and approved by then White House counsel, Alberto Gonzales. Torture is O.K., unlimited and arbitrary presidential power is O.K. In short, anything which furthers the neo-con agenda is O.K., the ends justify the means, reagrdless of where that path might lead.

The Bid for Unchecked Presidential Powers

Just two weeks after the September 11 attacks, a secret memo to White House counsel Alberto Gonzales’ office concluded that President Bush had the power to deploy military force “preemptively” against any terrorist groups or countries that supported them—regardless of whether they had any connection to the attacks on the World Trade Towers or the Pentagon.

The memo, written by Justice Department lawyer John Yoo, argues that there are effectively “no limits” on the president’s authority to wage war—a sweeping assertion of executive power that some constitutional scholars say goes considerably beyond any that had previously been articulated by the department.

Although it makes no reference to Saddam Hussein’s government, the 15-page memo also seems to lay a legal groundwork for the president to invade Iraq—without approval of Congress—long before the White House had publicly expressed any intent to do so. “The President may deploy military force preemptively against terrorist organizations or the States that harbor or support them, whether or not they can be linked to the specific terrorist incidents of Sept. 11,” the memo states.

In addition to providing a rationale for invading Iraq, or any other country, the memo also stated that "...the president's decisions are for him alone and are unreviewable...". While this is in regards to the president's use of military force, it sets a precedent for unlimited...unchecked...unquestioned presidential power. Such power in the hands of the Executive, or any other branch of governement, clearly flies in the face of the intent of the framers of the Constitution, who sought to maintain checks and balances amongst all three branches so that none gains absolute control of the government.

Even more disturbing is that Alberto Gonzales, Dubbyuh's nominee to replace John Ashcroft, vetted and signed off on this memo. Is this really the kind of man we want as Attorney General...? One who would so cavalierly dispense with 200+ years of constitutional government as if it were toilet paper...?

The true colors of the Bush administration are revealed with the release of this memo. They care not one whit for the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. They scoff at the concept of international law, and view the Geneva Convention with utter, unveiled contempt. Power is their only goal, and they care not how many bodies they must climb over to reach it. They are unworthy of the offices they hold and they are a disgrace to the memories of our Founding Fathers.

Civil War...? In Iraq...? Inconceivable...!

According to reports today, car bombs exploded near the Ali Iman shrine in Najaf, one of the most sacred sites to Shia Islam, and at a bus station in Karbala. Both cities are Shia controlled. According the BBC,

"...the aim of the bombers - believed to be Sunni insurgents - is to kill as many Shias as possible and try to stir up sectarian trouble ahead of the 30 January poll, our correspondent says.But leading Shias urged their supporters not to respond in kind.

"The Shias are committed not to respond with violence, which will only lead to violence. We are determined on elections," said one of the most respected Shia clerics, Mohammed Bahr al-Uloum..."

The key to avoiding all out civil-war between the Sunnis and the Shias lies in whether or not the Shia clerics can keep their followers in check. If they cannot, todays car bombings are but the first volley in a bloody internecine struggle between the Sunnis and the Shias. As to what the Kurds will do, that is anyone's guess. They may be content to play wait-and-see, letting the Sunnis and Shias slaughter each other. But should they be regularly attacked by either, or both, the Sunnis or Shias all bets are off. Iraq will become embroiled in a three-way civil war that will make Lebanon look like a Sunday-school picnic, as well as further radicalize and destabilize the entire region. If American forces step in, they will be accused of playing favorites, and will become targets to all involved.

Both British and US intelligence summaries pointed to the very real possibility of a three way civil war in Iraq. But, as is typical of the Bush administration, if the projections donnot pass their ideological litmus test, they are ignored. If civil war does erupt it, and its consequences, can be laid squarely upon the doorstep of the Bush administration. They were warned against going into Iraq to begin with, but they chose to ignore those warnings...The blood, both US and Iraqi, is on their hands.