Fafblog
O Reagan My Reagan: A Tribute to the Tributes
EXCERPT:
This week has been hard on Giblets, with Reagan being dead. I wasn't actually in America per se while he was president, or even while he was cogent. But watching him on television I feel as if I know him as well as any random stranger watching endless tributes and funerary coverage for days on end. That was the magic connectivity of Reagan, you see.
And what more fitting send-off to the president we sometimes knew and all loved than with a week-long mediafest? I am currently fliping between "Reagan: The Legacy," "The Reagan Legacy," "Reagan: The Man, The Legend" and the funeral with the delicious-yet-tasteful pun, "Mourning in America." If I flip superfast I can see caskets on five networks at once!
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Republican Election Tendencies: Intimidation, Fraud, and Bribery
Republican Election Tendencies: Intimidation, Fraud, and Bribery
EXCERPT:
At the same time, the Republican returning boards in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina left themselves open to reasonable charges of conflict of interest and even corruption. The members of the boards were appointed state government officials whose self-interests were vested in Republicans retaining control of their states and the White House. Before the enactment of a merit bureaucracy, patronage was the lifeblood of the party system, and this was especially true in the South where Republicans were fighting for their political lives. The returning board in Louisiana rejected over 13,000 Democratic ballots and nearly 2,500 Republican ones, thereby delivering the election to Hayes and the state governorship to the Republican, Stephen Packard.
Outright corruption was even more of a concern than conflict of interest and, in fact, it undermined the notion that the boards were resolutely loyal to their party. The head of Louisiana’s returning board, James Madison Wells, tried to sell the state’s electoral votes locally at a price of $200,000 for each Republican board member, but both parties rejected the corrupt deal. He then sent his associate, Colonel John T. Pickett, to Congressman Abram Hewitt, chairman of the Democratic party, with an offer to sell the votes for $1,000,000. Hewitt and Tilden refused the offer. However, Tilden’s nephew, Colonel William Pelton, did negotiate with Wells and with Republicans in Florida in an attempt to buy an Electoral College victory for his uncle, allegedly without the nominee’s knowledge, even though he lived in his bachelor-uncle’s house. The negotiations lasted too long to produce results, except for a series of incriminating coded telegrams, which were later used as evidence in a Congressional investigation in 1878.
See also Gore Vidal's book, "1876" for fuller development of this recurring anti-democratic practice.
EXCERPT:
At the same time, the Republican returning boards in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina left themselves open to reasonable charges of conflict of interest and even corruption. The members of the boards were appointed state government officials whose self-interests were vested in Republicans retaining control of their states and the White House. Before the enactment of a merit bureaucracy, patronage was the lifeblood of the party system, and this was especially true in the South where Republicans were fighting for their political lives. The returning board in Louisiana rejected over 13,000 Democratic ballots and nearly 2,500 Republican ones, thereby delivering the election to Hayes and the state governorship to the Republican, Stephen Packard.
Outright corruption was even more of a concern than conflict of interest and, in fact, it undermined the notion that the boards were resolutely loyal to their party. The head of Louisiana’s returning board, James Madison Wells, tried to sell the state’s electoral votes locally at a price of $200,000 for each Republican board member, but both parties rejected the corrupt deal. He then sent his associate, Colonel John T. Pickett, to Congressman Abram Hewitt, chairman of the Democratic party, with an offer to sell the votes for $1,000,000. Hewitt and Tilden refused the offer. However, Tilden’s nephew, Colonel William Pelton, did negotiate with Wells and with Republicans in Florida in an attempt to buy an Electoral College victory for his uncle, allegedly without the nominee’s knowledge, even though he lived in his bachelor-uncle’s house. The negotiations lasted too long to produce results, except for a series of incriminating coded telegrams, which were later used as evidence in a Congressional investigation in 1878.
See also Gore Vidal's book, "1876" for fuller development of this recurring anti-democratic practice.
Friday, June 11, 2004
Condensed Reagan Funeral
Condensed Reagan Funeral
Cars, umbrellas, big church, greeter.
Music by Emerson, Lake & Palmer sung by kids and folks in robes.
Talking in microphones. Marge, Mulrooney, George Herbert, Dub, Danforth. Trumpets. World leaders in audience. Lots of canned footage. God-talk. Trumpets. Various other forms of garrish overstatement.
Seriously, the last part, where they marched to coffin out, was among the most beautiful things I have seen and heard. And the speeches were all quite fine.
Cars, umbrellas, big church, greeter.
Music by Emerson, Lake & Palmer sung by kids and folks in robes.
Talking in microphones. Marge, Mulrooney, George Herbert, Dub, Danforth. Trumpets. World leaders in audience. Lots of canned footage. God-talk. Trumpets. Various other forms of garrish overstatement.
Seriously, the last part, where they marched to coffin out, was among the most beautiful things I have seen and heard. And the speeches were all quite fine.
Virtually every significant problem facing the American people today can be traced back to policies and people from the Reagan administration
Virtually every significant problem facing the American people today can be traced back to policies and people from the Reagan administration
Some lines from the article:
He sold the American people a lemon, and they drive it to this day as if it was a Cadillac.
Mainstream media journalism today is a shameful joke because of Reagan's deregulation policies.
Today, Reagan's old bosses at General Electric own three of the most-watched news channels. This company profits from every war we fight, but somehow is trusted to tell the truths of war.
Some lines from the article:
He sold the American people a lemon, and they drive it to this day as if it was a Cadillac.
Mainstream media journalism today is a shameful joke because of Reagan's deregulation policies.
Today, Reagan's old bosses at General Electric own three of the most-watched news channels. This company profits from every war we fight, but somehow is trusted to tell the truths of war.
Thursday, June 10, 2004
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Greg Palast & Bob Weir on O'Franken Factor
Greg Palast & Bob Weir on O'Franken Factor
Greg Palast
Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead
"The Cute One"
During the Floridageddon phase of Amerigeddon, Greg Palast was doing his job. While many other reporters and journalists were licking their wounds on the way to the bank.
Greg joins Al, Katherine and Bob Weir on today's O'Franken Factor.
Greg Palast
Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead
"The Cute One"
During the Floridageddon phase of Amerigeddon, Greg Palast was doing his job. While many other reporters and journalists were licking their wounds on the way to the bank.
Greg joins Al, Katherine and Bob Weir on today's O'Franken Factor.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Monday, June 07, 2004
"If you seek Liberalization, open up this gate" -Ronald Reagan
"If you seek Liberalization, open up this gate" -Ronald Reagan
Fair and Balanced: The Stupidity of Ronald Reagan - by Christopher Hitchens
Not Even a Hedgehog - The stupidity of Ronald Reagan. By Christopher Hitchens: "Not Even a Hedgehog
The stupidity of Ronald Reagan.
By Christopher Hitchens
Posted Monday, June 7, 2004, at 10:03 AM PT "
excerpt:
One could go on. I only saw him once up close, which happened to be when he got a question he didn't like. Was it true that his staff in the 1980 debates had stolen President Carter's briefing book? (They had.) The famously genial grin turned into a rictus of senile fury: I was looking at a cruel and stupid lizard. His reply was that maybe his staff had, and maybe they hadn't, but what about the leak of the Pentagon Papers? Thus, a secret theft of presidential documents was equated with the public disclosure of needful information. This was a man never short of a cheap jibe or the sort of falsehood that would, however laughable, buy him some time.
The fox, as has been pointed out by more than one philosopher, knows many small things, whereas the hedgehog knows one big thing. Ronald Reagan was neither a fox nor a hedgehog. He was as dumb as a stump. He could have had anyone in the world to dinner, any night of the week, but took most of his meals on a White House TV tray. He had no friends, only cronies. His children didn't like him all that much. He met his second wife—the one that you remember—because she needed to get off a Hollywood blacklist and he was the man to see. Year in and year out in Washington, I could not believe that such a man had even been a poor governor of California in a bad year, let alone that such a smart country would put up with such an obvious phony and loon.
Sunday, June 06, 2004
"Abu gah rabe abu gaaa rabe ahb ahb abuuuu gaaaaaah
iddybud: "Abu gah rabe abu gaaa rabe ahb ahb abuuuu gaaaaaah
LMAO!!!!
Oh, please, please listen to this!
*..the first two minutes are all I'm asking!*
Thanks to Iddybud...
LMAO!!!!
Oh, please, please listen to this!
*..the first two minutes are all I'm asking!*
Thanks to Iddybud...
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Dead Woman Who Accused Bush of Rape - PRAVDA.Ru
Dead Woman Who Accused Bush of Rape - PRAVDA.Ru: "Dead Woman Who Accused Bush of Rape
11/12/2003 16:37
Margie Schoedinger dies as a result of a gunshot wound to the head
Margie Schoedinger, the woman who allegedly filed a lawsuit against George W. Bush in December 2002, claiming that she had been raped, has died of a gunshot wound to the head, registered officially as 'suicide'."
Old news, granted. But interesting, as the corporate media has still maintained a blackout of this story...
Black Woman who accused Bush of Rape-Found Dead
Court Info
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11/12/2003 16:37
Margie Schoedinger dies as a result of a gunshot wound to the head
Margie Schoedinger, the woman who allegedly filed a lawsuit against George W. Bush in December 2002, claiming that she had been raped, has died of a gunshot wound to the head, registered officially as 'suicide'."
Old news, granted. But interesting, as the corporate media has still maintained a blackout of this story...
Black Woman who accused Bush of Rape-Found Dead
Court Info
MORE
MORE
MORE
What is a Liberal
What is a Liberal?
Of the top of my head I'd say...
We are the keepers of the Grail Code, stewards of the world and it's inhabitants, and protector of the common well, i.e. environment.
We are in the world, but not of it. We are angels hovering above, protecting and healing and spiritualizing.
We are not in awe of people "higher in rank", and do not succumb to the mammonical tendency to treasure material wealth over natural and spiritual and communitarian wealth.
We also treasure education, information, knowledge, wisdom and creativity. We are creative, not reactive.
We stand up for the poor and underprivileged, and are more comfortable among them. We do not wall ourselves off from them.
We know that dull minds think alike, and as such, tend to have more diverse views on all subjects.
We cherish Peace and abhor War. War is Hell, and Peace is Heaven. We thus are more Godly and less Satanly...although we do not wear our religion on our sleeve.
All the greatest humanitarians have been, in essence, Liberal, including Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Lao Tse, and Michael Moore.
We choose love over fear. Life over death. Freedom over domination.
We know that arrogance is a disease that can be cured by a macrobiotic diet, and our music and art is light years ahead of the conservative counterpart.
We tend to wind up in places like Harvard and Berkeley and Chapel Hill, rather than Bob Jones and the laughable Liberty U.
We don't suck at governing. We don't steal, cheat and lie to get our way. We are not "in it" for ourselves. We are here to help.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
-anonyMoses
Of the top of my head I'd say...
We are the keepers of the Grail Code, stewards of the world and it's inhabitants, and protector of the common well, i.e. environment.
We are in the world, but not of it. We are angels hovering above, protecting and healing and spiritualizing.
We are not in awe of people "higher in rank", and do not succumb to the mammonical tendency to treasure material wealth over natural and spiritual and communitarian wealth.
We also treasure education, information, knowledge, wisdom and creativity. We are creative, not reactive.
We stand up for the poor and underprivileged, and are more comfortable among them. We do not wall ourselves off from them.
We know that dull minds think alike, and as such, tend to have more diverse views on all subjects.
We cherish Peace and abhor War. War is Hell, and Peace is Heaven. We thus are more Godly and less Satanly...although we do not wear our religion on our sleeve.
All the greatest humanitarians have been, in essence, Liberal, including Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Lao Tse, and Michael Moore.
We choose love over fear. Life over death. Freedom over domination.
We know that arrogance is a disease that can be cured by a macrobiotic diet, and our music and art is light years ahead of the conservative counterpart.
We tend to wind up in places like Harvard and Berkeley and Chapel Hill, rather than Bob Jones and the laughable Liberty U.
We don't suck at governing. We don't steal, cheat and lie to get our way. We are not "in it" for ourselves. We are here to help.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
-anonyMoses
Gore stand up for America against Bush's rapine and mismanagement
Gore stand up for America against Bush's rapine and mismanagement
Gore: Bush a "moral coward"
EXCERPTS
Former Vice President Al Gore stepped up his slashing attack on President Bush on Friday night, accusing the administration of ruining the economy, destroying the nation's standing with its allies and waging a war in Iraq based on lies and deception.
"Those policies came out of the White House and no matter the wrongdoing of individual troops, they were ordered to wade into a moral cesspool and given ambiguous, conflicting instructions and then praised for doing things they shouldn't have been doing," Gore said. "I believe the abuse of those prisoners came directly from the abuse of the truth in the run-up to the war."
If the United States re-elects Bush, then American citizens share the blame, Gore added.
Bush has "looted" the economy and turned projected multitrillion-dollar surpluses into deep deficits, Gore said.
"In the last three and a half years, this administration has tragically and recklessly squandered our legacy, while the special interest people were advising him behind closed doors," Gore declared.
The Bush administration's "single objective is to help the wealthy and powerful," he said, adding that the president likes to act tough but "whenever he is in the presence of a wealthy contributor, he is a moral coward."
Is Bush going insane? Or is this nothing new?
Is Bush going insane? Or is this nothing new?
EXCERPTS
“It reminds me of the Nixon days,” says a longtime GOP political consultant with contacts in the White House. “Everybody is an enemy; everybody is out to get him. That’s the mood over there.”
In interviews with a number of White House staffers who were willing to talk off the record, a picture of an administration under siege has emerged, led by a man who declares his decisions to be “God’s will” and then tells aides to “fuck over” anyone they consider to be an opponent of the administration.
“We’re at war, there’s no doubt about it. What I don’t know anymore is just who the enemy might be,” says one troubled White House aide. “We seem to spend more time trying to destroy John Kerry than al Qaeda and our enemies list just keeps growing and growing.”
...
"Tenet wanted to quit last year but the President got his back up and wouldn't hear of it," says an aide. "That would have been the opportune time to make a change, not in the middle of an election campaign but when the director challenged the President during the meeting Wednesday, the President cut him off by saying 'that's it George. I cannot abide disloyalty. I want your resignation and I want it now."
...
“The Attorney General is tight with the President because of religion,” says one aide. “They both believe any action is justifiable in the name of God.”
But the President who says he rules at the behest of God can also tongue-lash those he perceives as disloyal, calling them “fucking assholes” in front of other staff, berating one cabinet official in front of others and labeling anyone who disagrees with him “unpatriotic” or “anti-American.”
Telling Times: Chalabi, James Bath & the Iraq War
Telling Times: Chalabi, James Bath & the Iraq War
Ahmed Chalabi
James R. Bath
Salem Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden
George W. Bush
Ahmed Chalabi
James R. Bath
Salem Bin Laden
Osama Bin Laden
George W. Bush
June 1977
June: After a failed attempt to win a US congressional seat, George W. Bush sets up his own oil firm, Arbusto Oil in the same Midland, Texas Petroleum Oil building that his father used to work from. One of his backers is James Bath, a Houston aircraft broker who represents bin Laden family interests in the US. Salem bin Laden, eldest of the bin Laden sons, is another major partner in the firm. Salem bin Laden will die in an unexplained flying accident near San Antonio in 1988. The 50 investors who put up $4.7 million to start up the company are, in Bush's words, "mainly friends of my uncle" who "did pretty good," although they lost most of the money they invested in the company. Jonathan Bush, George W.'s uncle, raises money for Arbusto from political supporters of the Reagan-Bush administration. The time is not propitious for startup oil companies; many quickly die off, but Arbusto stays afloat due to large cash contributions from family connections and international contributors interested in building relations with the Bush family. (In These Times, Project Censored, Consortium News, Bushwatch, American Free Press/Killtown)
December 1979
George W. Bush's Arbusto Oil receives $50,000 from James Bath, a close family friend who is also the sole US business representative for Salem bin Laden. It is suspected that the money came directly from the bin Laden family, but efforts to conceal this connection are successful, so no proof is forthcoming. After 9/11, the Bush administration harshly denied any connection to the bin Laden family. Bush first stated that he didn't know Bath at all, then backtracked and admitted that he knew Bath well and was aware of his ties to the bin Ladens. Bath also has deep ties to BCCI, the scandal-plagued Arabic bank with ties to terrorists, drug trafficking, and arms dealing. (In These Times, Project Censored, Killtown)
August 1988
Salem bin Laden dies. His business interests are inherited by Khalid bin Mahfouz, a powerful Saudi financial figure and BCCI partner. Bush family friend James Bath runs a business for Mahfouz in Houston, and joins a business partnership with Mahfouz and BCCI frontman Gaith Pharoun in Houston's Main Bank. (In These Times, Bushwatch)
June 1992
June 4: The FBI is purported to be investigating the connections between George W. Bush and James Bath. Bath was Salem bin Laden's official representative in the US, and is intimately connected with bin Laden's financial successor, Khaled bin Mahfouz, who is now known to be a prime source of Al-Qaeda funding. Bath, and by inference bin Mahfouz, are accused of funneling money to the Reagan and Bush administrations in order to influence American foreign policy. Allegations of the bin Laden family's attempt to influence President Bush through his son are made, but before proof can be collected, the investigation is quietly throttled. (CCR, Project Censored)
1992-2001
Following Bush's executive order of mid-1991 ordering the deposal of Saddam Hussein, the Rendon Group, a public relations firm with extensive experience working in Iraq for the CIA and the Pentagon, organizes the Iraqi National Congress as an eventual replacement for the Hussein regime. The head of the firm, John Rendon, gives the INC its name, coordinates its strategy sessions, lines up meetings with powerful GOP officials, and channels $12 million in covert CIA funds to the new group. In October 1992, Rendon names Ahmed Chalabi as the head of the INC. (Chalabi left Jordan in 1989 in the trunk of a car after a bank he ran collapsed; he was subsequently charged in absentia with embezzlement and sentenced to 22 years in prison.) Internal dissension all but destroys the group and ruins Chalabi's reputation with US intelligence. After Clinton's election, the US ceases supporting the INC and helps form its own opposition group, the Iraqi National Accord (INA). Both groups are severely damaged when Hussein's internal police captures and executes many members of both groups. Chalabi, dubbed by many a "limousine insurgent" who draws "more support on the Potomac than the Euphrates," according to one Middle East expert, continues to be trusted and wooed by Pentagon and other neoconservatives, some of whom privately dub him the "George Washington of Iraq." In 1997, Chalabi's fortunes improve when many of his Washington supporters form the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which advocates the overthrow of Hussein and Chalabi taking his place as Iraq's leader. "Were it not for Rendon," a State Department official later reflected, "the Chalabi group wouldn't even be on the map." Nine days after the 9/11 attacks, the PNAC sends a letter to President G.W. Bush advocating not only the destruction of al-Qaeda, but the overthrow of Hussein as well as measures to be taken against the governments of Syria, Iran, Lebanon, and Palestine. (In These Times, Asia Times)
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