I figure if I want this comment to ever see the light of day, I may as well post it here right now, as it will surely be deleted off K-HM's blog post-haste by that sniveling coward.

Hey, you're making quite a name for yourself out there in Blogworld. I would go into more detail, but you're the Great American Coward type that always deletes any criticism that may come your way, so what's the point? I just wanted you to know that you can look for me to be dedicating a post just to you, very soon. I want to see you delete THAT. (No time left today to start this post, but YOUR comments will NEVER be deleted from this blog, so fire away... Ig). And, lastly, as if America doesn't have a black enough eye in the world for just the kind of skulking, scurrying bullshit tactics you commonly employ, you gotta put that eagle on your stuff like you're some kind of brave defender of some lofty cause. Lofty just ain't in you, brother! Your brain seems only developed enough to post sports scores, dishonor the dead who can't defend themselves, & plagiarize. Give us all a good laugh & put up that one idiotic original poem I called you on a while back. Now, THERE'S something that would show some REAL bravery... Ig

P.S... Doodyhead!

My sincerest apologies to LaLePop for "borrowing" his blog title, but sometimes the man just says it the way it is, ya know? (Thanks, Lal!) And that's the very way it has felt for me for awhile, as regards one of the posts that I put up some time back, entitled "Could We Start Again, Please?". That post is one that I felt was the most bold and therefore scary piece that I had ever put up (strangely, it wouldn't even print out the first few times I tried). And yet, even though I later challenged, begged & even cajoled Blogworld for a response,  never recieved a single comment save, finally,  MY OWN!

It gets stranger, in that that blog turns out to have a lasting contemporary manifestation that none of my other blogs have seen (yet). It's about National Security Letters, which are a part of the Bush administration's self-ordained right to spy on and "subdue " anyone they feel like, including common citizens with no ties to terrorism.

 Now we're seeing some uproar about a related controversial practice of Dubya's CIA, called "renditions". The Asssociated Press  (12/27/2005)describes "renditions" as "the highly classified practice of grabbing suspects off the street of one country and flying them to their home country or another where they are wanted for a crime, or even just for questioning. Government officials say the action is reserved for those considered by the CIA to be the most serious terrorist suspects." Sounds okay then, hmm?

Big surprise... the CIA has been given carte blanche on all of this, and, having to answer to no one, they've gotten embarassingly (no such thing in Bushworld) out of hand. ("Hey, Adolf... your cover's being blown! Time to bump the Brown Shirts and put the SS in charge!") For instance, some have been grabbed wrongly (reports say around 10 or so). Others, after further investigation, have not been as directly linked to terrorism as initially believed.

One of the mistakenly apprehended, with the help of the ACLU, Khaled al-Masri, a German citizen of German descent, has sued the CIA for detaining him after he was "captured" in Macedonia in December 2003 and taken to Afghanistan by a team of covert operatives in an apparent case of mistaken identity. Al-Masri said he was "dragged off the plane and thrown into the trunk of a car" and beaten by his captors. Five months later,  he was dropped off on a hill in Albania.

"I am glad the CIA is investigating the cases that they are aware of," said Tom Malinkowski, Washington office director of Human Rights Watch. "But by definition, you are not going to be aware of all such cases (of erroneous renditions), when you have a process deigned to avoid judicial safeguards."

He said there is no guarantee that Egypt, Uzbekistan or Syria will release people handed over to them if they turn out to be innocent, and he distrusts promises that the U.S. recieves that the induividuals will not be tortured.

Bush has said "We do believe in protecting ourselves. We don't believe in torture", while at facilities run by the CIA and the U.S. military, graphic images of abuse and at least 26 deaths investigated as criminal homicides have raised questions about how authorities handle foreign fighters and terrorist suspects in U.S. custody.

 Meanwhile, Bush and Cheney scurry to protect their right to to have CIA & the military torture unfettered in any way. I guess this must be a new way to torture terrorist suspects, innocent or guilty: deliver suspects to other countries, and let the blood run & flow. Wash your hands, Pilate...er...Dubya.

The AP went on to say "Senior administration officials have sought to assure critics that the cases are isolated instances among more than 80,000 prisoners held since 9/11. Yet much remains unknown about the CIA's highly classified detention and interrogation practices, particularly when it grabs foerigners and spirits them away to other countries."

And I say much, much more remains unknown about Bush & Gang at all. We've just recently been apprised about secret CIA prisons... now we see this plausible use for them. I guess it's not enough to lie to the whole country to get us into a war for oil... Bush needs to find even more covert places to practice even more covert inhumanities that we're never supposed to hear about, in order to "win".  Do you suppose it's 'cause he loves America & Americans so much? How long before we all start feeling the love?

 

So more than 1,250 complaints about fraud, ballot box stuffing and intimidation have been filed by 35 political groups against the Independent Electoral Commision of Iraq. More than 100 politicians and representatives of various groups, including the main Sunni Arab coalition & a secular Shiite bloc headed by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, attended the meeting. They all concluded that the Commission, which oversaw the ballot, should be disbanded. 

"We hold the IECE responsible for all the violations which took place during the elections and demand that it be dissolved and a suitable alternative found" said the statement read by Ali al-Timimi, the head of the Hilla al-Fayha List, a secular Shiite ticket Babil Province south of Iraq's capitol.

"These elections are fraudulent, and the next parliament is illegitimate. We reject this process", said Ibrahim al-Janabi, an Allawi representative.

Hey, Iraq... Welcome to George W. Bush-style politics, and good freakin' luck!

For years now, Dubya has been lovingly, more-than-patiently proving to you and the world, beyond any shadow of doubt, how superior we are in terms of politics, religion, morality, stability, monetary system, communication... you name it, we're just plain superior people. When this failed and you callously resisted,  he found it necessary to cook up a big fake war to beat you down & take your oil, and showed you that we're even superior in weapons and war!

And now you've been given the golden opportunity to be just like us---elevated--- and this is how you act? Look, towel-heads, if a nation and a people so vastly superior to you can't find a way to oust an utter, lying failure like George W. Bush, what makes you think YOU should deserve a fair election? Hell, you're just seeing the tip of the iceberg!!! If you think Georgie's bad, you need to get a load of all of the cronies and followers included in the package.

You think YOU'VE seen hypocracy? Dubya and his family have been steadily adding new chapters on sycophancy, entitlement, and just-plain-bullshitting for almost two decades now. (And just LOOK at Dubya's face, closely now, and tell me there's no in-breeding going on. Weasel-monkey grin, kinda' cross-eyed at times. Has trouble wrapping his thick tongue around the English language... The Bushes can't find anybody good enough for them OUTSIDE the family anymore! Barbara's especially pleased with this situation).

We're superior to you in every way, Iraq. I guess we've proven that by now. Everybody over here says so. So just sit back, shut up, and learn the American Way! Don't try to fight it! Consider how we used The American Way of honesty, righteousness and forthrightness to kick Viet Nam's ass, and then remember that it took us only a few measly WEEKS for Bush to proclaim "Mission Accomplished" in your own heathen, sniveling, oil-rich front yard.

And soon, if you're real good (or even if you're not), you'll be enjoying the fruits of a Bush asdministration yourselves. You can feel it already, can't you? Ahh, that's the rich, American taste of true Democracy, Bush-style! You'll be freer, and have more time to thank Jesus for George, 'cause you won't have to think anymore. You'll be happier knowing that someone stupider than you is running things, and there's nothing you can do about it so you don't have to feel guilty when your country is caught up in a big web of irreversible lies, cloak-and-dagger, smoke-and-mirrors. And if you feel a bad twinge of conscience about how things are done, you'll have all of those smug, happy followers to turn to, to show you the proper way to look at things. Don't worry---you have no choice! Think THEIR way and be a "Patriot", or be labeled "traitor". It's easy after a while. LOTS of us are doing it!

The American Way. The Right Way. The Bush Way. Now get the f*** out of the way, you're blocking my putter.

I'll have a Blue Christmas without you.

I'll be so Blue,  just thinking about you.

In a nation so Red

All your green's gone in one pass...

No cash, no Kerry

Since Dubya kicked your... Aunt.   (whew!).

 

I'll have a Blue Christmas, that's certain.

 Den when dem Demmmmmm... feelings start blurtin'...

You'll go on with your life...

(Elmer Fudd sings): "Wish I'd wed yo' wuvowy wife!"

But I'll have a Blue, Blue Christmas...

                                    (background singers): "bwu-bwu-bwu Kwismus..."

Uhh... Thank you. Thank you ver' much.

 

A child born Son of God by a gentle virgin. Her husband, awe-struck, deeply moved with only love and wonder. The infant birthed in a stable, in a manger, due to no room at the Inn for wayfarers. Ox and lambs gather 'round and nod and bow to this beautiful infant, born King of Kings: even they can sense the greatness, peace and tranquility here. Across the desert, three Kings caravan by brightest starlight, bearing gifts for the prophesied new Messiah. And not far away, another greedy King fails to ignorance and orders the death of male infants out of fear and jealousy. I don't care who you are, this is a beautiful story of love and triumph that persists even into this day of expansive war, questionable motives, addictive drugs and dispensible lives. Jesus still saves, and that's good enough for this old curmudgeon to endlessly wish everyone a Merry Christmas.