The Beginning of the End? ???

So Arlen Specter joins the Democratic Liebercrat Party. Olbermann, Matthews, Maddow, etc will be picking this apart, analyzing his voting record, his history of talking out of his ass... In a nut shell...

This is a desperate man trying to hold on to his Senate seat. If he loses, he has to find a real job. I'm not sure he's ever had one. I don't count his time on the Warren Commission, authoring the Magic Bullet Theory. Not as a real job anyway. Hmm... that would mean that other fantasy/fiction authors like JKRowling and Tolkien don't do real jobs. Oh well.

On the one hand a lot of what Specter says is true: The republican Party has become so right wing and ideological as to be idiotical. They're crazy fuckers over there, letting nimrods like Hannity, Malkin, Beck and Limbaugh speak for them. The thing is, this isn't the first time Specter's straddled party lines. Early in his career, he ran for office on the republican ticket, while he was a registered Democrat. Always reading the winds of change.

On the other hand, since the refuckyoucans are so fucked up and their brand so toxic, I wonder if this begins the trend of refuckyoucans simply changing their label and infiltrating the Democratic Party. A switch much like the racist southern democrats following George Wallace out of the party and in many instances becoming refuckyoucan. Somewhere in a previous post I predicted this, but I can't find he damn thing now.

Specter's already said he's not going to be "the 60th vote." You know, the guy who'll stand up for principle and help "his new party" get some shit done. Like the employee free choice act -- he opposes it. In a "rust belt state" ??? As I said: He's a sham.

Maybe this begins an entire realignment or parties. Lieberman, Specter, Lincoln Chaffee trying to un-refuckyoucanize themselves... maybe I'll get my wish and see Kucinich, Feingold and Bernie Sanders form a truly Progressive Party.

The Road Too Much Travelled

No, this is not a road trip post. Although I have been on the road quite a bit over the past two days. And that plays a part. Being on the road has given me the chance to listen in on some of my favorite radio shows on AM 1090 here in Seattle: Stephanie Miller; Thom Hartmann; Ed Schultze.

What's struck me is the amount of time and attention being given to irrelevant, bullshitious side show topics like: The (in)effectiveness of torture. A bullet to the head is quite effective in preventing your lover from cheating, but that's murder. And it's illegal.

I know that by giving air time to this crap, they avoid the trap that I fall into: Torture is a war crime; Dubya is a war criminal; end of argument; now what do I talk about for the rest of the show/week/month..? But it's irrelevant whether or not it worked. Just as it's irrelevant that we're "at war." The moral bearings of those subjected to torture is irrelevant.

One of the things that came out during one of Thom's shows was the fact that after 9-11, the Muslim world was united and ON OUR SIDE! There's nothing inherently anti-American about Islam. bin Laden was inspired to do what he did on 9-11 by what we did in Lebanon. And those swelling the ranks of al Qaida are inspired by our actions in Afghanistan, Iraq... and abu Graib, Guantanamo, Bagram...

I don't give a rat's hairy ass if Nancy Pelosi knew about Bush's torture. Or Jane Harmon, or Harry Reid, or... Try them too. They should have their asses kicked just for continuing to use the term "enhanced interrogation." It's TORTURE. And if they knew and approved, then they're, what's the correct term? Assessories? Accomplices? Whatever. Arrest them and try them too. If Congress has to shut down because there's no quorum, so be it.

We're supposedly the good guys.

Then we should act like it.

We should begin by abiding by our own laws. By the treaties we've signed. By past precedents set during say the Nuremberg Tribunals, or the Andersonville Trials.

So where do I get off saying all this? Am I one of Joe Scarborough's morally superior Liberals? or as he said, Liberals who like to get all high and mighty with a sense of moral superiority. It's like this Joe: When you (or your ilk) argue in favor of torture, you place yourself on the same plain as those who would argue in favor of beating their wives or children to keep them in their place and teach them respect. I do nothing.

Am I morally superior to the Scar? I don't know. I suppose if I were given the chance to waterboard Sean Vannity....? What would be the measure? If I stopped when he shit his pants and sputtered his choked off squeals? If I ignored all that? Or if I never started? By ol' thumbs up to Keith O for calling out that little poppinjay. Any wayyyyy....

Don't get caught up in all the superfluity of assenine legal quackdom. Those who authorized, justified, exercised torture are criminals and should be tried as such.

A Change of heart?

So Obama's changing his tune regarding prosecutions for torture.

Am I relieved? Encouraged? Has he earned my respect? Do I owe him and apology? No. On all counts, a resounding, fucking, "NO!"

This is all just wishy washity disguised as centrism. Obama stated his position, Rahm Emmanuel clarified it, but now, because of the backlash, he's doing hinting at doing, what any rational human being would have done from the beginning. This is a former constitutional lawyer and professor/lecturer. I mean.... come on. DUH !!!! This hesitation and what-the-fuckery ranks right up there with Dubya the MBA's fucking of our economy.

Charge them with the crimes and try them.

I'm so fucking tired of "taking what I can get," for president.

Puppy Pics

Took me a while but here they are:



First Day. R&R.



Dinner Time:



George. The STUD.



George. What do you think... This ain't happenin.

Bullshitiousness and Douchebaggery... Part...

Oh Hell, I forget what part. But there's new shovellers and nozzles involved.

Obama... he continues to dismay and disappoint me. His latest failure regards his release of the torture memos. Why the fuck release them and yet promise no prosecutions? ??? There is no other way to say it: This is Bull Shit, plain and simple.

I suppose if Dan Abrams was still on the air that he would be calling this a "slight move to the center," again. Like when he voted for the Freedom Is Superfluous Act, to cancel the Fourth Amendment. I'm more inclined to believe the extreme right actually may be right -- by accident -- in calling him a Fascist with this move.

Waterboarding is torture. There is NO arguing. Torture is a war crime. These memos, these decriminalizing, "legal justifications" are CRAP. Those who performed the 183 waterboardings of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed... Six times a day, for a month? ??? and those who justified it, those who authorized it, and those who would cover it up -- Still there Barack? -- are war criminals. Just like those past enemies WE put on trial in the past:

After Japan surrendered, the United States organized and participated in the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, generally called the Tokyo War Crimes Trials. Leading members of Japan's military and government elite were charged, among their many other crimes, with torturing Allied military personnel and civilians. The principal proof upon which their torture convictions were based was conduct that we would now call waterboarding.

Acting in good faith? Bullshit.

Following orders? Bullshit.

Always done in the presence of doctors? Bullshit.

What if there was a ticking time bomb.... blah blah... Fucking Bull Shit.

A crime is a crime and it should be punished.

Fuck Truth Commissions. Fuck Congressional Hearings.

Obama blew it on FISA. He's blowing it here. Hopefully his Attorney General has spine enough to do what's right.

I Shall Return... UPDATED

I just don't know when.

It's been damn near a month since I posted last, and that wasn't much of a post anyway.

Work's been a bear. We went from a month of seven twelves on one job right into five tens on the next. And I'm sure that we'll be into six tens eventually. I'm one of the lucky ones, I know. From what I gather, we have more work in the works; a year's worth, maybe more. It's been a hard eight years under Dubya and his refuckyoucan rubber stampers, watching job after job go to companies overseas... bidding work on the slimmest of margins (if not at a loss), just to keep the doors from closing. The owners hung in there though.

Life at home's exciting too. Looks like we'll be raising the grandmonster for the ... well... who knows how long. The wife and I feel like we're too old for that kind of shit, but we gotta do what we gotta do for the kid. We're at least on the same page with regard to the big picture. We'll see about the details as time goes on. It's going to be a big challenge for me, as I've never really wanted kids -- too much responsibility -- but the bar's not set very high: Frozen PBJs? I can make 'em from scratch. Seriously though, the kid was dealt some pretty shitty hole cards; I hope I can help him out on the flop here.

We re-fied the house. It's too big for just the two of us... ooops... three of us, but then again, we have room to get away from each other when the need arises. And, I bought a truck: A 2006 Dodge Dakota. I was debating the possibilities of fuel efficiency versus towing capacity for the pop up camper we've talked about for a few years now, and finally decided -- or did the wife do that? -- on the truck. So we've done our part, or part of it, to spur the economy. Speaking of which...

The economy is on its way up? Iiiiiiii donnnnnnn't knowwwwww about that. Just because there's a few people out there like me, who have a job and some cash to take advantage of plummetting prices -- I'm wonderring if I bought the truck tooo soon -- doen NOT mean things have turned around. It would be nice if it were more than just a temporary uptick, but until there are some major changes to the structure of the country's economy ie people going back to work making shit... It's just more Bush shit: Borrow and spend. We as a nation have spent our savings; we've spent the equity in our homes, we've spent the sailboat fuel offered us so we could buy houses and other shit.. ALL made in China.

And the tea baggers? All those planning to join this manufactured crusade are exactly that: Tea baggers. Sucking the scrotes of the Hannities and the Gingriches and Limbaughs and the McCains and the Roves and the... lame ass fake plumber fuck whose name isn't even Joe of the Refuckyoucan conservatard movement. Stupid fucking moron tools. Gotta give credit where credit is due: The term is quite fitting.

SHIT I forgot to mention last night:

Been waiting for over a week for Suzie the Mini-Dach to drop her puppies. Well last night/early this Morning, she did. 3 of 'em. Two males and a female, I think. After she had the first to, we were worried that she was going to reject them, but turns out she had a third in there, and after she pooped that one out, the mom in her took over big time. The other dogs look at her and she goes all fierce. Pics will be coming soon as the wife gets them loaded up.

I gotta admit, I kinda feel guilty. With all the people geting thrown out of their jobs and homes and having to give up pets, well.... Hell the step daughter has two cats that are going to have to join the ranks of the homeless. We had them here once before and they terrorized our cat who's much older and more timid. Not to mention they tore up shit all over the place. Little fuckers would chase and charge over the top of us all through the night.

Cuzz of the pups, I took the day off: NO sleep last night. Zero;Zip;Nada. Good way to find myself sucked into a machine at work. Sleep today and I'll be fucked up for the week. Got to hear Obama's speech this morning. "We need to make things." Gee, who else has been saying that?

Our economy for the past 8 years (and even longer) has been a complete fraud, disguised by smoke and mirrors, running on nothing but sailboat fuel. I'm not very happy about the new debt and deficits, but as long as we're getting something in return, and I don't mean wars, death and destruction, I can think of them as down payments.. purchases. For all of the spending done by Bush and his refuckyoucan rubber stampers, we, the people, the country, got NOTHING in the end. It ALL went to multinational corporations and the top 1-2%. The rich became super rich.

Now if Obama could just muster the balls to let the justice system take over and prosecute the Bush Syndicate's crimes against humanity...